


Amor Morsus

by InChaosRoses



Category: LuYong - Fandom, NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Blood Drinking, Blood and Violence, Depression, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Luyong end game, Lycans, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:15:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27461068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InChaosRoses/pseuds/InChaosRoses
Summary: A bite.That's all it takes. Too easy.Taeyongs world goes dark, and his body falls limp. Lucas holds him steady as he licks the wound on the vampire's neck.'Mine,' his instincts howl. 'mine.'
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Lee Taeyong/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 56
Kudos: 169





	1. The First Bite

It's so easy - too easy really - to give in. Too easy to let delicate hands roam the expanse of his torso. Too easy to allow those slow sensual hips to dance against his own. Too easy to dismiss the purple marks that will surely be left on his collarbones the next day. It's too easy because it's _Taeyong_. The beautiful man that tamed a Lycan like himself.

Sharp teeth ghost over his adams apple, and Lucas lets his lips part in a gasp. This. This is what he came for - what he _craved_. Taeyong's attention; all to himself. One of the most powerful vampires to ever exist sitting in his lap, possessive love marks decorated across his pretty neck, teasing his pulse point like a ravaged animal. Lucas doesn't have to look to know that the vampire's eyes are black - lost in his instincts - and it only serves to turn him on more as teeth finally sink into his flesh. An ancient creature: powerful, wise, _feared_ \- all too happy to lap at his blood. The blood of a Lycan. Taeyong would have it no other way - a fact Lucas has enjoying all too much over the last week.

A low moan escapes him as pretty hips grind harder, and the suction on his neck becomes more frantic. Knowing Taeyong could cum just from the taste of his blood alone sends a shiver up his spine, but Lucas isn't ready to let their fun end just yet. He snakes a hand behind the vampires' head and grips hard at the rose gold strands - pulling him back enough to nose along the column of his pale neck. Lucas has to force down the urge to bite and claim. Go figure a vampire drives his need to mate up a wall. 

"Hyung," Lucas mumbles; peppering kisses along Taeyongs' skin. There's a buzz at the back of his skull from the vampire's venom. "why are _you_ having all the fun?"

The vampire smiles; tongue poking out to lap at the blood around his lips. It's a captivating sight.

" _Aww_ ," Taeyong coos; arms wrapping around the Lycans neck. There's a giggle at the back of his throat (Lucas can practically _hear_ it) as his hips continue their sinful motion. "I'm sorry baby, I just missed the way you taste. Your pulse picks up when we have _fun_. You're all I can smell like this."

Lucas smiles, bringing their faces closer to taste what's left of dry blood on the vampire's lips. It's gross, just like every other time he's done this, but he knows it's one of Taeyongs favorite things about him - his life liquid. Plus, if he's being truthful, he would never say no to the velvet of the vampire's lips. He nips at them lightly - chuckling to himself when he pulls away and Taeyong follows.

"I couldn't help myself," the vampire whispers against his lips. "but I know you're wound up too, Xuxi. I can _feel_ you."

It's true. Lucas has been so painfully hard from the moment Taeyong decided to make himself at home in his lap - there's really no way to hide it. Much less when Taeyong's been drawing circles on and around his dick for the past 15 minutes.

"I want you in me _so bad_ ," the vampire half moans into his mouth. "Want you wrecking my insides like I know you can. Do you want that baby? My little _puppy_ , do you want to stretch me around your _knot?_ Make me scream your name until- "

A low growl rips through Lucas' throat; his own instincts running wild because - _yes_ , yes, he would very much like to knot the little vampire in his arms. That and _much_ more.

" _God_ ," Taeyong groans. "your growl is such a turn on."

They're kissing again, messier this time, and Lucas fumbles in his haste to drag Taeyongs infuriating leather pants down enough to sink into him. They're sexy on the vampire, but a bitch to remove when they're tangled up like this.

" _Bite_ ," Lucas says after he's managed to wiggle Taeyong out of his clothes. The Lycan himself is still in his ripped jeans, but the vampire seems satisfied with that much. Taeyong looks quizzingly at the finger now on his lips; quickly realizing what's being asked of him. Lucas watches, amused, as the vampire eagerly sinks his teeth in. He feels the venom course through his veins once more. The buzz makes him growl as he watches Taeyong suck away at his finger.

When it's clear Taeyong is getting lost in the feeling, Lucas pulls away. The vampire chases after the liquid, hands wrapped around Lucas' wrist, and all the Lycan can do is watch as Taeyong drags his tongue along the digit. The image of those lips around his cock flashes through his mind.

"Maybe later, hyung," Lucas assures before pulling his hand away. Taeyong simply nods with a loopy smile. He manages a ' _kay_ ' before lifting himself up enough to give Lucas proper access.

 _"Ahh,"_ the vampire mewls once the large warm finger probes at his entrance. Lucas swells with pride at the sound. He may be whipped for the older vampire, but Taeyong is no better.

"Baby," the vampire whimpers; the pressure around his hole getting to him. "please, puppy, don't _tease_ -"

The words get stuck in his throat as Lucas plunges into him with not one - but _two_ fingers. Taeyong lurches forward and clutches at the Lycans shoulders - eyes blown wide open and pitch black. 

" _Fuck,_ " The vampire growls. Lucas chuckles; fingers already building up a lazy rhythm as he moves them in and out of the immortal. 

" _Someone's **impatient**_."

"I couldn't help myself," Lucas kisses into his skin; smile on his face. "I'm hungry too, hyung. It's not just you."

Taeyong rolls his head back at that, letting his hips lift up and down onto skillful fingers. His fangs appear again - the need to feed increasing as he picks up the Lycans elevated heartbeat. Lucas knows he's driving the little vampire wild. He can smell the arousal encasing them both. 

"I want to make my baby feel good," Taeyong says; voice completely wrecked already. He tucks himself close - close enough so he's right in Lucas' ear. "Fuck me like a bitch in _heat,_ Lucas _._ I want you to _wreck me,_ like you do the omegas of your pack when you're in a _rut_. Knot me, and make me **yours,** _so all the vampires walking around this castle know who **put me in my place**_."

What little bit of self-control Lucas has left flies out the window just like that. His pupils dilate and blow wide as he grips Taeyong and lifts him up. The vampire smiles like a maniac as he watches the Lycan pull himself out from his ripped jeans.

" _Yesss_ ," he hisses as he sinks down onto the thick length of Lucas' cock. The burn feels delicious - dizzying even - and the vampire pulls his baby's head back so they're eye to eye.

"You're so good to me,Xuxi," Taeyong giggles as he moves his hips; adjusting to the stretch. The Lycans nails are digging into his hips now - much sharper than they were seconds ago. The discomfort of being stuffed full subsides and Taeyong keens at how labored Lucas sounds. The Lycans nose is flared as he takes deep breathes - chest heaving, and growl low at the back of his throat. 

"My little alpha wolf," Taeyong says as his kisses the edges of Lucas's lips. The Lycan surges forward and roughly takes control of the lip lock. It's sloppy, _hungry,_ and Taeyong can't help as he nips hard enough to draw blood. They both moan as Lucas starts moving his cock in and out of the vampire; his blood dripping down his chin. Taeyong breaks the kiss just enough to whine - needy.

" _Fuck_ \- Lucas, please... _ahhh_ ," He licks at the blood on the Lycans chin. "please baby, _wreck me_ , **break me**."

He doesn't have to be told twice - high off venom and his own need to knot, the Lycan pistons his hips into the vampire like there's no tomorrow. Taeyong bounces - head thrown back - and opens his mouth in a silent moan as the stimulation becomes too much. 

" _Yesssss_ ," the vampire finally manages; heat coiled in his belly. "fuck, _yesss_... _ahhh._... ** _Lucaaas_** _!_ "

When the vampires voice shifts like _that_ , Lucas knows he's close. Looking up at the beautiful creature in his hold - pretty neck on display for him - he tightens his arms around Taeyongs slim figure as he moves. He noses along the vampires' neck and can hear the warnings going off somewhere in the back of his mind - _he's a vampire, you can't!_ \- but Lucas silences them. Taeyong is _divine_. Taeyong is _different_. The need to claim, to mark, to _mate_ , has never been this strong. Lucas is practically crushing Taeyong now, but the little vampire is all too happy to care as he reaches his climax - overwhelmed by the pleasure and strength gripping him.

" _Lucas I'm cumming!_ " The vampire suddenly screams. " _Please_ , _knot me_!"

There is it. Knot now full, Lucas buries himself deep into the vampire - spilling his seed - as he pierces the skin of Taeyongs neck.

A bite.

That's all it takes. Too easy.

Taeyongs world goes dark, and his body falls limp. Lucas holds him steady as he licks the wound on the vampire's neck.

' _Mine,_ ' his instincts howl. ' _mine.'_

.

.

.

.


	2. To Bite Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten charges - terrifying in his true vampire form - and Lucas feels his heart race as he tries his best to stare the vampire down.
> 
> 'I'm ready,' he thinks; clutching his bleeding side. 'Goodbye, Taeyong.'
> 
> "DIE!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for this:  
> Please know that this chapter contains mentions of homophobia at the end.
> 
> Chapter 2!!! I spent a LOT of time editing this and writing and rewriting. Please know I have changed my twitter @ to "dancing_lumi".  
> Please comment!

Taeyong's not sure how long he's been out, but he knows it's been more than enough for someone who doesn't _technically_ need to sleep in the first place. Slumber is a pastime when you're an immortal - and he makes a habit of taking naps no longer than an hour when he can afford it unlike the other, more uptight, vampires in the castle. He looks down at his chest, purple love bites littering every inch he can see, and smirks. He looks a wounded animal after being hunted by some beast.

_'Speaking of wounds_ ,' Taeyong thinks as he massages his neck. ' _why does this hickey burn?'_

Upright now, and looking around his room confused, his eyes settle on Lucas lying next to him. The Lycan is fast asleep, completely spent, with the sheets barely covering below the waist. His breathing is even - the rise and fall of his chest reminding the vampire how alive his giant puppy actually is. There's fresh blood running in those veins, the kind that tastes sweet and leaves Taeyong wanting more. The vampire licks his lips. His need to feed on his snack creeping back up.

Lucas had been brought to the castle 6 weeks prior. A _gift_ of sorts - to protect the castles noble vampires. The sad truth to that? It was entirely for show - a sign of fearfrom the Lycans, but Taeyong isn't complaining. The elder nobles had thanked the Lycans and accepted the gift, though, Doyoung, Taeil, and Johnny had simply sneered at the idea of letting a _dog_ sleep at the edge of their bed. They made it clear they wanted nothing to do with Lucas. Taeyong, on the other hand, had quickly agreed to take him in as his _personal_ pet. 

Human blood was fine and all, but it was no secret to anyone that Taeyongs tastes were a tad bit more - _unique_. A daily supply of fresh Lycan blood, straight from the source, was too good to pass up. 

_'Especially,'_ Taeyong thinks lustfully. _'with a body like his.'_

Johnny had of course _immediately_ protested to that, and ordered Lucas be used elsewhere. Luckily, Doyoung had been quick to jump to Taeyongs defense, and it was decided Lucas would protect the castle and only see over the vampire at night. Perhaps the best solutions, really.

All day the Lycan spends his time patrolling the castle grounds, and then all night he keeps an eye on Taeyong. If they have some _fun_ while he's on duty at night, well, that's between them.

" _Good boy_ ," Taeyong coos as he traces the outlines of Lucas's defined abdomen. "Fucking me so well I fell asleep! You even carried me to bed, and now you're here ready for me to feed."

Lucas doesn't stir and something about that makes the vampire giggle. He wants to watch the Lycan sleep like this: tame, unaware, _easy prey_. Unfortunately, as a noble, there's far too much to do today and watching his baby sleep isn't on the list. Even Lucas has to eventually get up soon to make his rounds.

"God forbid they let us have a day off," Taeyong mumbles to himself before kissing the Lycans cheek - lingering for a second as he smells the wonderful life liquid beneath skin. He stretches, letting everything Lucas broke last night crack back into place, and gets up. The mirror gives him a proper view of all the markings his puppy left for him to deal with today.

"He's getting better at making them last longer," The vampire laughs. "The one on my neck looks like it's going to-"

He stops.

His neck.

There's a bite mark on his _neck._

"Fuck."

That's not _possible_.

"No, it-it _can't_ be."

If Taeyong could still produce his own blood it would be ice cold. He slowly approaches the mirror - hands shakily rubbing at the painful wound on his neck.

It can't be real. It just _can't_.

Eyes wide, he stares. There is no mistaking it. Standing right in front of his reflection Taeyong can feel the world around him start to spin - he's shaking.

It's a mark, no- a _claim_ , on his body. 

Lucas had claimed him.

A Lycan had claimed him... as his _mate._

His eyes go dark. The anger in his body vibrates and spills over as he yells at the mirror - effectively breaking it before turning around and lunging at the figure still asleep on his bed. Lucas is ripped from his slumber immediately, and is met with the full fury of the vampire. A clawed hand wraps around his neck in warning. Little black veins draw themselves slowly along the slopes of Taeyongs face. Even his fangs don't look right. Lucas has seen the vampire's fangs before - countless times - but not like this. Easily twice their length and razor sharp, Taeyong is glaring at him ready to _kill_.

" _Did you do it on purpose?_ " The vampire hisses.

Lucas doesn't say anything; still confused.

" _Answer me mut, did you plan this from the very beginning?_ "

The grip around his neck tightens and that wakes Lucas up enough to grab at the Vampire in an attempt to break free.

" _What?_ Taeyong, get off me!"

Lucas is strong, but the vampire is centuries old and far too powerful for him to simply knock over.

" _Not until you answer me Lucas. Is this why you were brought here? Where these your orders!?_ "

" _What are you_ _talking about!?_ " The Lycan screams back. Taeyong only looks more and more angry with each passing second and he's still no closer to understanding why.

Somethings not right. This isn't _his_ Taeyong. This isn't the same vampire that picked him up from the floor after Johnny had kicked him there. This isn't the same vampire whose entire undead existence makes Lucas soul burn with need.

This is _fear_. This is _terror._

He's not afraid of vampires, or _death_ for that matter - not anymore - but Lucas is terrified of whatever is wrong here because this is not _his_ vampire trying to strangle him.

"Taeyong, _please_ , I-"

" _How could you do this to me?_ " 

Lucas watches as the vampire above him morphs back into the creature he's used to seeing - the hold on his neck never letting up. Taeyong is crying, but what the Lycan is more aware of is that he can feel the confusion radiating off the vampire.

He's feeling what Taeyong is feeling; just at the edge of his mind - soft, almost a whisper. There's only one way that's possible.

There, on Taeyong's neck, is the bite mark he hadn't zeroed in on before. 

_His_ bite mark.

"I claimed you," Lucas whispers out. 

" _Yes_ ," The vampire sobs. "Yes, you did, and I need to know _why_ you did this, and I need to know the truth _right now_ Lucas or I'll rip you to pieces myself!"

"You're my mate," Lucas says still in shock; a hand reaching up to rub away the tears streaming down his vampire's face. 

" _Lucas, answer me!_ "

The hands on his neck loosen just enough. Lucas doesn't wait as he pushes up to take Taeyongs face in his own grasp - crushing their lips together. The vampire tries to break away, but falls flat against the weight of yet another shift in his universe.

It's _different_. Kissing Lucas is different. Like little droplets of electricity running down his spine; Taeyong can feel the bond work its magic. It shuts down all the anger left in him as Lucas kisses him into oblivion.

' _It's not right. Nothing about this is right,'_ His mind screams; but his mouth still keeps kissing the Lycan back.

_'This has to end. Now.'_

Taeyong finally breaks free of the kiss as his thoughts settle. Hands wrap around his tiny waste as Lucas brings them closer.

"Taeyong, I-"

" _Please don't lie to me._ "

The break in his voice, how tiny - _fragile_ \- it sounds, makes Lucas frown. He holds the vampire tighter.

"Listen to me, okay?"

Their foreheads are touching as they stare at one another. Lucas wants to keep kissing Taeyong so badly but he knows how this must look. There's no hidden agenda for him - but still, _Lycans cannot claim vampires_.

"Taeyong I really am sorry I claimed you without your consent. We don't even do that in my own pack. I want to apologize for any disrespect you're probably feeling right now, because I have nothing but respect for you, really."

He's not sure if Taeyong can feel the sincerity in his words or not, bonding was never meant for mates of different species, but he hopes he does.

"I don't know _why_ I did it, but last night I know that something in me was screaming that I had to - _needed_ to. I've never felt that with anyone before. My alpha instincts aren't even that strong in a _rut_ ," He puts distance between them to properly look at his vampire. "I really _didn't mean to_ , Taeyong."

The vampire sighs, long and deep, relaxing in Lucas's hold. His arms wind around the Lycans neck and bring him close again.

"I believe you," he whispers in the Lycans ear; eyes black. "My little puppy, I believe you."

He knows. He's read the books. Lycans mate only once in their life, and when they do, the bite gives them the ability to sense their mate's feelings. Lucas telling the truth or not doesn't matter. As much as Taeyong doesn't want to - killing the Lycan is the only solution to this.

_'A Lycan with claim over a vampire? How ridiculous. If anyone ever found out... no. No.'_ Taeyong thinks. _'This weakness will not stay.'_

"I don't blame you, Lucas," the vampire kisses into his ear; trying to position his arms in a way that he can snap the Lycans neck quickly. "It's natural for you to want a mate, and my venom is highly intoxicating. It's easy to make this mistake-"

"I don't regret it."

His hands still - his pupils dilate back to their normal size. Taeyong blinks several times before pushing away to look at Lucas.

"... What?"

Lucas smiles; placing a kiss into the vampire's bare shoulder. 

"I don't regret it. I want to be your puppy. I like being at your side."

_'That's not_...,' Taeyong can't think; his brain refusing to understand. _'Does he have some sort of death wish? What the fuck is he thinking? Even if this isn't a set up, he can't really believe this wouldn't end in his death?'_

"Lucas you can't," The vampire looks at him - really looks at him. "You can't be serious?"

Hurt flashes over the Lycans eyes. Taeyong can feel something pull in him and tries to ignore it because it's _not natural_.

"I want to be yours, hyung," Lucas says looking down. "I know this isn't right, but I want to be yours."

Taeyong rips himself away, to the Lycans surprise, and quickly stands; walking fiercely towards his bathroom.

"Taeyong, wait-"

"No!"

Lucas faulters. Hand outstretched, ready to fun after the vampire, he watches as Taeyong turns around - cold. His eyes are cold.

" _No_ ," the vampire says again. "understand this, _Lycan_. You are my _pet_ \- _nothing more._ I shouldn't have to draw this line because it doesn't even exist - the idea is insane. We have no future as mates. On a good day you're a sexy little snack I enjoy when I feel hungry. You're the rare meat I can't get in stores, and giving that up is stupid. _That_ is the only reason I haven't killed you yet. If I cry for you, know that it's out of shame. I am _ashamed_ to have this thing on my neck."

A dull ache hits his chest suddenly and Taeyong has to look away. There's a wave of dizziness there but it dissipates quickly as he walks into his connecting bathroom. 

Lucas watches him go; heart breaking for the only creature who's ever made his soul feel like it's on fire. 

"Make sure you're on time for your duties!" is the last harsh thing said to him before the door closes.

Lucas stares for what feels like hours before he finally lets his hand fall to his side in defeat.

"I know it's impossible," he says into the silence of the room; feeling lost and alone. "I know you can't be my mate. Let me just be your lap dog then, I guess. But I'm not leaving you-"

He can feel tears threatening to spill.

' _Let me just be the craving you fill,_ ' he thinks miserably. ' _Even if the bond only means something to me, at least let me do that much for you._ '

He gets ready for the day after that - trying his best to filter out the whispers at the back of his head that he's royally fucked this all up.

+

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+

Taeyong hates turtle necks. Unfortunately for him, he has no choice but to wear one now that he's walking to his first meeting of the day. Even more unfortunate, is that this meeting is full of nothing but elder vampires - the ones that most certainly do _not_ need to know about the bite on his neck. Had he the power of foresight, he'd never have screamed about being, ' _marked up for the whole castle to know who he belongs to_ ,' while riding Lucas night.

What an ill-fated jinx _that_ turned out to be. He just hopes the smell of boxed hair dye does enough to mask the Lycans scent. Not that vampires have expert noses outside of blood anyway, but he's not taking his chances.

"How nice of you to grace us with your presence," Doyoung smiles sarcastically at him as he enters the room; wine glass full of aged blood in his hand. "Glad to know your hair is more important than being here on time, oh _great one_. Purple this time?"

Johnny - who's watching him with hooded eyes - chuckles at that. The glass of fresh blood in his own hand gets downed quickly after.

"I thought patience was your virtue?" Taeyong counters with a smile of his own. "I mean, you literally wait around for old people to die before taking their blood. My 15-minute delay is kind of stupid compared to your month long wait for that aged bottle of blood from 1872 that you _still_ haven't finished."

"Brat," Doyoung says simply. Taeyong giggles.

"Tell the truth baby," Johnny smirks from his seat. 

Taeyong turns his attention to him; picking up the tense atmosphere around the elder.

"You were too busy getting _fucked_ by that dog of yours to show up on time, right?"

The jealousy lacing those words doesn't go unnoticed as Taeyong takes his seat. Johnny had always been possessive of those he'd turned himself, but his favoritism towards Taeyong had never been an exact science over the years. He's always let his gaze linger a little too long, touches a little personal, and that was probably why Taeyong had let the older vampire keep him company at night for so long. 

It used to anger Taeyong when Johnny would find someone else to burry himself in at night, but over time he learned that while he was the favorite - and everyone knew it - Johnny Suh was not one to tame. He would not settle for _just_ Taeyong.

A week ago, when Taeyong had exclusively started screwing the Lycan, he noticed Johnny start to act out. Jealousy on Johnny was great for sex, but not outside of that. However, Taeyong didn't want to stop fucking Lucas. That, and there was the fact that Lucas's blood was much too good to give up. It was an easy decision to make for Taeyong - now being able now to fully satiate his hunger with just one partner.

"Does he put you in your place well?" The elder spits. "Make you cum as hard as I do, or do you get off on his blood because he's all bark and no _bite?_ "

"I see you haven't been getting laid," Doyoung laughs; Taeyong sends him an approving wink. 

"Quit being so damn cranky, and please go fuck one of your dozen human concubines or the dozen bloodlings you have, John. You're no fun when you're in a mood."

Johnny bares his teeth and Doyoung raises a brow at him.

"Put the teeth away, Johnny," Taeyong says sweetly as he gets up and sits in the vampire's lap. Johnny's hands immediately find their place on his smaller frame. "If you must know, yes, I do rather enjoy how well my puppy ruts into me, that's why I haven't bent over so willingly for you lately."

Johnny eyes go dark, and his grip on Taeyong tightens. Doyoung rolls his eyes from his seat; silently counting their blessings that the other elders are also late as hell.

"Disgusting," The taller vampire spits. "what a nasty little thing you've been lately."

"Aw," Taeyong coos; hand tracing Johnnys firm jaw. "My master doesn't like that I have a pet. Not to worry _sir,_ my need for you is still there. But you _do_ have _other_ bloodlings to play with. I hear you fucked Ten for two days straight when I closed my doors to you. You can't blame me for venturing out." 

"Hmm," Johnny smiles wickedly; clearly already working himself up now that Taeyongs ass is sitting on his crotch. "But Ten and the rest of my bloodlings don't look half as pretty as you when I fuck into them."

Taeyong gets up then; leaving Johnny with lust written on his features as his eyes dial back to normal. 

"Lust is a powerful thing, master," he smirks as he walks back to his seat; fully aware of the vampire's eyes on his ass as he goes. "So I'll be taking my time with my puppy."

Johnny hisses in anger at that but Taeil walks in and shuts them all up. He looks winded to say the least.

"Sorry for the long wait, Jungwoo ate garlic cheese bread and didn't think _garlic_ meant that it was real garlic. He was puking his brains out."

"Ew," Doyoung says. "Too much information, maybe?"

"Sounds more like not _enough_ information," Taeyong jokes.

"Anyway," Taeil says rolling his eyes; sensing something off with Johnny but ignoring it. "Kun let me know that he's on the way but had to go take a look at the north gate."

"What's wrong with the north gate?" Taeyong asks. Johnny's still looking at him, but he pays him no mind.

"They found dead animals in the perimeter early this morning," Taeil says; worry in his voice. "and Lycan tracks."

Taeyong feels dread sink into his stomach.

"You're sure?"

"Very," Taeil confirms. "Sungchan sent me the photos and that's why Kun is just now on his way back to us. He wanted to make sure all the security devices were up and running correctly since none of them went off last night. I didn't get a ping on my phone; I'm assuming none of you did either?"

The vampires check their phones and, sure enough, no alerts. Worry settles in Taeyong too as he thinks about the situation. Lycans right outside their gates is usually no cause for alarm. They wonder. The woods are their domain. So long as they stray from other creatures and keep up their truces via communication leaders, vampires pay them no mind. However - for them to have spent time hunting right in front of their gates without being detected spells trouble. Especially if they're brave enough to do so at night, when vampires are the most agile. 

"The security systems have been checked?" Taeyong asks.

"That was the first thing Kun had Sicheng look at," Taeil nods. "Nothing comes back as having at error. The Lycans were completely undetected and there is no explanation for it." 

"Send the dog out to investigate."

Everyone turns a curious eye to Johnny. ' _What a child_ ,' Taeyong thinks.

"What?" the tall vampire scoffs. "We're all thinking it. If we send the mutt into the woods, I'm sure he can tell us what they were doing here. Put that nose of his to good use."

"He does actually have a good point," Doyoung admits. "The sun is out now, and our eyes are more sensitive at this time of day. We'd be going in basically blind. The Lycan won't have an issue being able to track for clues like we would."

"If we wait for nightfall, we risk losing clues to wildlife in the area," Taeyong adds with a nod; hands clasped together in thought. "Plus, there's the benefit of sending less people since Lucas can detect scents so well."

Lycans for centuries have tried to mess with them, it was part of the reason communication lines were established decades ago to ensure balance. At one point, tensions had been so high that the Lycans had convinced most of humanity to hunt vampires down out of fear. Savages, vampires are not - but you couldn't convince a human in the 1700's of that. Now though, times were different. Lycans new their place. They didn't bother, and vampires let them be. If a stray pack of dogs were looking to cause havoc now, they'd be put in their place quickly.

"What if it's a trap?" Taeyong wonders aloud. 

Johnny laughs; head thrown back. "All the better reason to send him out," he smirks. "In fact, let's use him as the bait and they can eat the mutt before we ambush them for snooping."

"Excuse you," Taeyong frowns; annoyed. "I'm not sending my food out to be killed."

"Death is his only fate staying here at the castle anyway, baby boy," The taller vampire says matter-of-factly. "He's mortal, he'll age, and will pass on looking like hell while you look for a new toy. Cutting his life down a century isn't going to ruin your appetite, I'm sure." 

The comment snaps something in Taeyong and he stands - hands slamming on the table in the process. Johnny has always wanted to have him as some prized possession, (and oddly, to an extent he's okay with the idea) but messing with things that belong to and concern him personally isn't cute. There are _lines_. Johnny - much like Lucas - cannot cross them. Never mind that there's a _bond_ Taeyong also has to consider now.

"Listen here _blood for brains_ ," he hisses; earning looks of suprise from Taeil and Doyoung. "Just because I'm not offering my hole up to you to ruin every damn night, does not mean you get to take away vital life liquid that is hard to come by as is. Toy or not, Lucas isn't going to be meat for someone else to slice because _you_ want to get even."

"You keep using its name."

Taeyong frowns.

" _So?_ "

"Odd that you'd use its name considering it's just a snack," The tone in Johnny's voice is low, calculating. Taeyong doesn't like it. "You've _never_ bothered using names before."

"What are you implying, Johnathan?" The purple haired vampire snarls. 

" _ **Enough**_ ," Taeil cuts in. "Taeyong, stand down, he is your elder and your blood master. Johnny, whatever you're trying to accuse Taeyong of is very _specific_ and _very_ much an abomination. Unless you have proof that something more is going on here, I'm going to assume you're simply being petty and I will ask you as _your_ blood master to leave this room. We have enough to deal with."

"Send him."

All eyes go to Taeyong as he sits back down. 

"Send him and be done with this stupid conversation," he says; propping his legs up on the table. "I have other things I have to do today and now I have a headache. Send Lucas out quickly so he can be back in time to feed me."

Taeil and Doyoung both sigh - a long and very irritated sound. 

"Good," The eldest of them says as Kun walks in. "Kun, glad you're here now, please message the guards that the Lycan needs to be dispatched with the search team. Doyoung, please message Yuta that his ass is late and I'm going to kill him, this is the third time this month."

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Lucas figures that there are worse situations he could be in right now. On a leash, in his Lycan form, with his nose plastered to the snow-covered ground is honestly still much better than where he was before he came to the Castle of Elites. He may be _food_ for a certain fanged individual, sure, but at least he was _also_ getting food.

"Picking up anything?" A blonde vampire to his right asks him.

Lucas shakes his head 'no' and continues his search.

"Are we sure we can trust him?" The vampire to his left says to the blonde. "I mean, they _are_ his kin. What if they want him back or something?"

' _Trust me, they don't want me back,_ ' Lucas thinks.

"Yang Yang, Hendery," The refined looking vampire holding his leash says. "Both of you need to be searching more and talking less. We'll be able to get out of the sun quicker that way."

A chorus of 'yes, sir' is said before Lucas sees the two vampires disappear. 

"Hey, Lycan."

Lucas turns around, ears perked up in acknowledgement, tail down in respect. Ten, like Taeyong, was turned by Johnny, and just like all of Johnny's bloodlings, he too holds an intimidating gaze.

"Shift back into your human form for a second, I have some questions."

Curious (or maybe the word should be ' _cautious_ ') Lucas shifts and stands tall. 

"Here-" Ten hands him a large cloak. "You're built like a Greek god or whatever, but I don't want you getting sick out here in the nude. Taeyong will probably never shut up about it and I already can't stand him."

Lucas takes the material but he's weary. He's never liked Ten. From the beginning he could see how his eyes lingered with some sort of animosity towards Taeyong. It wasn't until he saw Johnny in the room with them both that he'd understood why.

"What do you want to know?" He asks. The vampire smiles.

"Are you fucking Taeyong?"

The sickeningly sweet tone in his voice makes Lucas want to spit in his direction, but he doesn't want to risk pissing off the vampire. Playing it safe is the only way to go right now.

"Why are you asking me that?"

Ten laughs - loud and cheerful. The ugly feeling in the Lycans gut does nothing to calm his rising nerves. 

" _Ah,_ " the vampire finally says; head thrown back in glee. "so that must mean you _are_. How nice for him. Now his weird taste in blood type matches his kinks. Hopefully that's enough to convince Johnny to get rid of him."

Lucas's eyes turn to slits. A low growl escapes him before he can stop it.

Ten raises an elegant brow at him. 

" _How interesting_ ," the vampire leers. "You're growling at me? Taeyong has you trained well, _mutt_."

Slowly, he begins walking a circle around the Lycan. His arms remain crossed over his chest as he makes a show of checking Lucas out. Lucas himself can't help but feel anger bubble up in him.

"But not very well, unfortunately."

Without warning Lucas feels a stabbing sensation on his left side - strong enough to send him to the ground in pain. No longer in his Lycan form, the snow on the ground stings. He wants to yell, but the snow underneath him quickly turns red. The gash is _too_ deep. He can't take another like it, so he opts for swallowing his pain as his best chance at surviving. 

"And to think I was actually willing to fuck you just to piss off Taeyong," Ten sighs; stopping right in front of Lucas's crouched form. He leans down enough to whisper in the Lycans ear; smile still on his face.

"Learn this: growling at a creature much stronger than you when you're seconds from death is a sign of stupidity, Lycan," the vampire giggles. 

"But then again, if you're _this_ attached to Taeyong, you can't be all that smart anyway."

Lucas decides he really doesn't like the way the vampire talks about his mate. Ten stands upright again and walks away before he hears another growl come from the Lycan. He swiftly turns around. 

"You really don't know your place do-"

"Johnny must be the dumbest of us all then," Lucas coughs out; trying not to let the pain show through his voice. "since he's fucked you, but can't stop thinking about Taeyong."

Lucas sees Tens' eyes immediately go dark.

"Oh my god, _why is he bleeding!?_ " Comes Yangyang's frantic yell from somewhere in the distance; running full speed at them. Hendery is slightly ahead of him but it's no use. Ten isn't going to let them save the day.

"You _stupid_ \- _I don't care if you're Taeyong's play thing! **I'm ending you now!** "_

Since there's no way out of it, his wound much too deep to allow him to shift and defend himself, Lucas just resolves for hoping his death is quick. He'd hoped to have a better death than this, but at least he didn't have to die in front of Taeyong. His chest aches at the idea of never seeing his feisty little vampire again; a helpless longing because he knows the immortal won't miss him.

Ten charges - terrifying in his true vampire form - and Lucas feels his heart race as he tries his best to stare the vampire down.

_'I'm ready,'_ he thinks; clutching his bleeding side. ' _Goodbye, Taeyong._ '

" _ **DIE!!**_ "

It happens so fast that Lucas almost misses it; but he catches the impossible moment a figure appears in front of him and sends Ten flying back several feet. A harsh ' _crack_ ' resonates as the vampire hits and breaks two trees in his trajectory.

"I think the _fuck_ not," is all he hears from Taeyong before he finally gives in to the blood loss.

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_"Tae, there's something you're not telling me."_

_"I've told you everything I know."_

Oh. Good. He's alive.

_"That doesn't explain what happened today-"_

_"There doesn't always need to be an explanation for everything, Doyoung."_

Alive, and with a throbbing head ache. Why are vampires so loud?

_"There does when you suddenly have the ability to teleport, Taeyong! We're vampires, not magicians!"_

"Fuck," Lucas groans as he fully comes to; feeling his whole body ache at once.

"Shut up, Doyo," Taeyong growls. "Look, you woke him up."

"Good," the other vampire responds. "Maybe he can tell us what the fuck actually happened since Ten can't keep his shit together long enough to give us a straight answer. Speaking of, don't change the subject."

"I already told you what happened."

Doyoung scoffs.

"No, you told us what _you_ know. The little bit you saw once you _disappeared_ from the castle. That was only enough to convince the elders not to kill Lucas on sight. We need to know what really happened."

"It was my fault," Lucas cuts in; voice dry and tired. "I got mouthy."

Doyoung stares. Taeyong sighs.

"What did you say?"

The Lycan looks away. A hand comes up to his jaw, and forces him to look back at the two vampires.

"Lucas," Taeyong says evenly. "I need you to tell me the truth, because you're in a hell of a lot of trouble and we need to know why. What did you say to Ten?"

"I'm dead either way, right?" Lucas frowns. "What's it matter what I said to him?"

Doyoung throws his hands up in frustration.

"I need a drink," he bemoans. "With your pets' melodramatic mouth, Tens screaming after you knocked him on his ass, and your magic tricks, I wish I could still enjoy alcohol." 

Both the Lycan and Taeyong watch as the raven-haired vampire makes a bee-line for Taeyongs mini bar. 

"Where's the aged shit you keep for my visits?"

"Very bottom shelf," Taeyong says. "Next to all the other ancient fossils I keep from the cretaceous period."

"Thank-" Doyoung frowns; glaring at the other vampire. "Fuck you."

Taeyong chuckles, hand no longer on the Lycans jaw. Lucas focuses on the pretty lines of Taeyongs face as he smiles - losing himself in how breath taking the vampire is.

"Ten asked me if we're sleeping together."

That has both vampires whipping their heads around. 

"I asked why he was asking me that and he started insulting you," he's only looking at Taeyong; watching the vampires face for his reaction. "He told me he wants Johnny to get rid of you and I sort of reacted to that by growling. Ten didn't like that."

"So, Ten attacked _you_ , not the other way around?" Doyoung questions.

Lucas nods and the raven-haired vampire scoffs. Taeyong says nothing.

"You _really_ expect the elders to take your word over Tens?"

"I'm telling the truth," the Lycan frowns; attention now on Doyoung. 

"Lycan I don't mean to be harsh, but Ten is literally telling them you attacked first - _with_ intent to kill."

"He can tell who ever whatever they want to hear, but I didn't attack him physically first. He's the one who did this-" Lucas points to his bandaged body. "and when he did, he insulted Taeyong again so I said something stupid and he tried to kill me."

"What did you say to him?" Taeyong questions again; voice calm - calculating. The look on his face softens Lucas a bit because he doesn't quite look confused. It's cute. The Lycan's never seen this side of the vampire before. It makes the smirk creeping up on to his face at the memory of telling off the Ten all the better.

"He said I'm stupid for standing up for you," he answers. "That anyone who would is stupid. So I told him Johnny must be too, since his ass isn't good enough to make him forget you."

Doyoung spits out his drink.

Taeyong laughs the hardest he's laughed in years.

" _Fuck... no... tell me you're kidding?_ " The purple haired vampire says between peals of laughter. He's doubled over now, practically in tears.

Lucas sits back, appreciating being the cause of that melodic sound - if he's a dead man, it was worth it. 

"Trust me," he winks. "I'm not lying."

Theres a knock on Taeyongs bedroom door and suddenly one very hurried vampire steps in.

"We have a tiny problem," the blonde says; flustered as he shuts the door behind him.

"What is it Xiaojun?" Doyoung asks. 

Xiaojun looks like he wants to ask why the entire front of the vampires' shirt is soaked in blood - but decides against it as his eyes meet Taeyongs.

"It's Johnny," he says; making Lucas sit upright - albeit, painfully. 

"He's convinced the other elders to kill Lucas."

The room goes silent. The Lycan tries to get an idea for what Taeyong might be feeling but finds no emotions tucked in the folds of his mind's eye this time. What's worse is he can't even tell if that's normal for their bond or not.

"Well," Doyoung sighs. "What do you want to do now, Tae?"

With all eyes on him - for once, Taeyong's not sure. He's really not. Plan of action? He has none. By all counts this case should easily go in Tens (and Johnny's) favor. Even Taeyong knows that. Convincing a room full of old ass vampires of the contrary would take a miracle. However, what he does know for sure is he's not about to let his blood source be slaughtered. Something about Lucas letting Ten have what's been long overdue said to him has Taeyong feeling sort of... floaty.

That, and there's still the ever-looming fact that he's bonded to the Lycan and he'd (presumably) teleported not even two hours ago because of it.

No. Lucas can't die today.

"That _bitch_ isn't getting my Lycan," he finally says; missing the way Lucas's eyes light up. 

"Taeyong, you're not serious?" Doyoung says wide eyed.

"Give me 15 minutes," The purple haired vampire smirks confidently. "I'll be with them shortly to discuss this fiasco. Now, both of you, get out. I need to feed before I piss off Johnny Suh."

Doyoung begrudgingly leaves the room - Xiaojun following after him looking even _more_ nervous somehow - and as soon as the door's shut Taeyong wastes no time in straddling his pet.

Lucas groans in pain.

"Okay," the vampire smiles. "Now it's my turn to ask some more private questions, puppy."

The Lycan just nods, content to be the center of Taeyongs attention once more. He considers how unhealthy that is, for his mindset, but since he's cheated death one too many times today, he lets it slide. 

"First," Taeyong says as he pulls at his turtle neck to reveal the claiming mark. "This. For your kind, what are the perks of having it? Does is come with any special powers aside from being able to feel what the other is feeling?"

"Powers?"

"Earlier today," the vampire explains. "the reason I was able to help you was because I felt an overwhelming feeling of dread before I suddenly teleported right in front of you. I was in the hallway with Doyoung. He's the only one who saw it happen."

"Wow," Lucas supplies. 

" _Wow?_ That's it?"

Taeyong doesn't look impressed and Lucas feels his face heat up a bit. The vampire considers for a moment how he's never made a Lycan blush before. Even in the middle of their sexcapades. He stores the image away in his mind for later and places his hands on the Lycans shoulders sweetly.

"Puppy," he coos. "Please, think hard. Is there _anything_ you can think of?"

"Lycan mates can feel each other's emotions, the strongest connections, over time, even form a telepathic bond," Lucas says. "It's meant to keep one another safe. Even without the telepathy, a healthy bond should allow mates to find each other if one is in danger."

The vampire nods; pondering.

"That would explain why I teleported to you at least," he agrees. "But it doesn't explain _why_ I can teleport."

"Well... " Lucas mumbles; unsure.

Taeyong catches it though, and minimizes the space between their faces. Lucas hisses because there's a pull on his abdomen and the wound tears ever so slightly. He's sure it's bleeding again but Taeyong placing a feather light peck to his lips, and that makes up for it immediately.

"Tell me, Lucas," Taeyong whispers. " _What do you know?_ "

The Lycan looks directly into the vampire's eyes and figures now is probably the time to unload some baggage. 

"Certain lines of Royal Lycans carry very potent mating bonds," he says seriously. "It's possible that my own bite formed a potent bond, and well, you're a Noble Vampire. This could be something unique to us because of all of that."

Taeyong pulls away slowly.

"You're shitting me," he deadpans. "Please, that would require you to be-"

"I am."

The vampire looks for any signs of mirth in the Lycans eyes but when nothing's there, Taeyong really doesn't know what to do with himself.

"That's not possible Lycan, you can't be a royalty and be lying here in my bed as my pet," Taeyong rushes out. "Your family would never allow that. You can't expect me to _believe_ that?"

Lucas looks down; the sadness in his following words hitting Taeyong a little harder than he'd like to admit.

"They got rid of me because I like men."

Of all the things he was expecting to hear - it certainly wasn't that. Taeyongs arms drop to his sides and he stares at the wall somewhere behind Lucas.

"They gave you away to _us_ , _vampires,_ because you're attracted to the same sex?"

Lucas nods, still refusing to look up.

"That's so stupid," Taeyong says; shocked. "What kind of backwards way of thinking even is that? You're _royalty_ and they kicked you out of the family for your sexuality? _What the fuck?_ "

The Lycan sighs and tries to give the vampire a wry smile. It doesn't quite reach his eyes though. 

"Not everyone is as progressive as humans these days," he says. "They've known for years but when I presented as alpha last year they tried to make me mate a female and I just couldn't. My uncle was the one who decided I should be sent here as a gift - and if I die, I die."

Theres a twinkle at the back of Taeyongs mind - one of sorrow. He assumes that's the mating bond, weak as it is, telling him what Lucas is feeling.

"Listen here Lycan," he finally says. Lucas looks up.

"We don't give a shit about that here in our world. Blood is blood, flesh is flesh. Who you sleep with or not is up to _you._ Lycans would do well to follow that belief."

Taeyong brings their lips together again; biting this time and drawing blood. Just that little bit has the vampire wanting more but he can't risk feeding too much with the Lycan having lost so much blood already. Lucas feels need pool in his belly, the vampire still in his lap, but he pulls back. Taeyongs eyes are completely black.

"Taeyong I-"

"Don't."

Lucas blinks.

"I can feel it," he says. "somewhere, like a faint memory, I feel what you're feeling - but I can promise you Lycan that you will not find the same feeling in me. You are just my pet, there's nothing else there, in my heart, for you."

Taeyong gets up and off Lucas with that; his eyes going back to normal. He puts a finger under the Lycans chin and tilts his head up.

"Today, you did well. I won't let them take you away from me. You don't have to worry. But understand that it's for my own selfish benefit. I don't want to give my snack up just yet, and this bond may prove to be useful."

He moves to leave the room but a hand stops him. He looks back, slightly annoyed, at the hand on his wrist.

"Wait-"

"Lucas answer me something," Taeyong interjects. "Why do you insist on doing this to yourself? You _understand_ , right? That I view you as a _meal?_ A source of _entertainment?_ " - he turns around completely facing the other. "That at any moment I choose I can get rid of you and not think _twice_ about it? Why do you keep trying to prove to yourself - to _me,_ even - that this bond could be something more?"

Lucas doesn't skip a beat.

"Because you're the first person to show me any kindness."

Taeyong scoffs.

"I just finished telling you, you're food for me to play with, and you think that's _kindess?_ "

' _Of all the crazy things said today,_ ' Taeyong thinks.

"I know your life has been hard Lucas, but seriously I-"

"You can lie to everyone else, Taeyong, but you can't to me," Lucas says firmly. "From day one I may have been a live blood bank - but that doesn't change that when it's just us there's a side of you that drops his guard. You're not the big bad monster you want everyone to believe you are."

He's not angry, but there is an unsettling rock in his stomach hearing the Lycan speak. 

"There's a reason my alpha instincts kicked in with you, and I want to know that reason. Call me your play thing all you want, that's fine, I'll be here. Eventually the wall has to come down, Taeyong."

Taeyongs eyes harden and he turns away.

"Sleep. I'll expect to feed when I get back," he says through gritted teeth. "We are not going to be this loving bonded couple you're picturing Lycan. Tell yourself what you need to - today I'm saving you because I put Ten in his place. That is all."

He slams the door shut after him, and Lucas feels like he's finally taken a proper breath for the first time.

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	3. Revealing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wait.
> 
> The Lycan goes cold.
> 
> "What did you just-"
> 
> "Mate," Doyoung repeats; not missing a beat. "You're mates, I know. We all do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH okay so originally this was MUCH longer but I decided to split the chapter in 2 and now this is chapter 3 and "Testing Teeth" will be Chapter 4. I wanted to make a particular scene longer and now I can by doing this. Teehee.  
> Once again, please please don't feel bad for not reading this if you are not a fan of blood and some light gore.

"I want that stupid creature put to death," Ten snarls from his seat. The elders around him look rightfully annoyed, but say nothing. "Taeyong can fucking _burn,_ too, for all I care."

" _ **Shut your mouth**_."

Ten almost falls out of his seat when Johnny speaks - the rest of the room silently thanking him for finally saying something. 

"It's not like you died," Johnny nonchalantly continues. "quit acting like a child."

The petite vampire stares, slack jawed, at his blood master. Johnny ignores him in favor of checking his phone. The rest of the room watches quietly as the little bit of sanity Ten has remaining finally disappears.

"You... you're not _serious_ right now, _are you!!?_ " Ten screeches. "He fucking put me through two trees! Just because I won't _die_ from cracked ribs and a broken leg, doesn't mean it didn't _fucking **hurt!**_ "

" **Ten.** "

Everyone turns to face Taeil who - in all honesty - looks ready to put the ballistic vampire through two more trees. Taeil being the oldest of them all, was the most patient. He'd lived a long time and had seen many things. To make him raise his voice was rare - but somehow Ten had managed.

"I told you to stop acting like a child," Johnny mumbles to himself as he opens up his messaging app.

" _If you're not going to control your bloodling_ ," Taeil spits; looking pointedly at Johnny. "Have the good sense to _shut your mouth too._ "

Johnny puts his phone away and nods; posture suddenly very straight and proper. 

"I'm sorry, Master." he apologizes.

Taeil nods and fixes his glare back at Ten, who has now realized the mess he's made for himself.

"Vampire if you say anything else before I give you permission to do so, I will make you Taeyongs' _personal maid_ for the week. _Do I make myself clear?_ "

The look of panic on Tens face only lasts milliseconds as the door to the meeting room is thrown open. "No thank you," Taeyong refuses; walking quickly to his seat. "After what my pet told me I don't want to risk being poisoned or something."

Ten wants to say something but one glance at Taeil tells him he's better off taking his seat.

"Speaking of your dog," Johnny smirks. "Where is he? He's getting put down and we kind of need him here for that."

Taeyong smiles at his blood maste; feigning innocence. "Lucas is taking a nap in my room," he says sweetly; enjoying the drop in Johnny's expression. He turns to face the rest of the room, noting that Ten looks like hell in his own seat.

"I'm sorry, Taeyong," Taeil says; surprising everyone with how genuinely apologetic he sounds. "But Lucas will need to be put to death for attempting to kill Ten."

The purple haired vampire ponders for a second; hands clasped on the table. Doyoung, Yuta, and Kun look nervous in their own seats and it takes everything in Taeyong not to break character. He can't laugh now - not if he wants walk out alive.

"I don't think that's going to work."

Doyoung holds his breath, eyes screaming at Taeyong - _'WHAT THE FUCK?'_

"Taeyong," Taeil sighs. "It's not up for debate. Go get Lucas, please."

"I think you'll reconsider after what I have to say," Taeyong tries again.

"Taeyong-"

"You must _really_ like his dick to be sitting here refusing an order, _babe_ ," Johnny cuts in. Taeyong raises his brow at him but remains calm. "There's nothing you can say that will save him; the decision has been made. Go get your dog or I'll have to snap his neck in your room."

Taeil snaps. His hands hit the table - _hard_. Everyone jumps but Taeyong. 

"Johnny if you cut _**me**_ off again, I'll cut something of _**yours**_ off, do you understand?"

Johnny's flinches, but nods. 

"This clan is still under my rule until the end of the year. Learn that your place is underneath me until then."

The tall vampire sets his jaw firm and answers; "Yes, sir."

' _until the end of the year_ ,' stays in everyone's' immediate thoughts. Taeyong's not sure he likes the sound of what that implies, but decides to continue trying to plead his case. He can worry about the possibility of Johnny ruling the castle another day. "Taeil," he says; head bowed. "please let me at least give you the information I know. I will willingly give up my pet if you please just let me explain."

Taeil opens his mouth - anger still on his face - and Taeyong fears he's already lost.

"I think we should hear him out," Doyoung speaks up.

Yuta looks confused next to him, but straightens out before raising his hand and agreeing; "I think so too."

"He's being more civil than these two have been," Doyoung adds. "and he's agreed to let us kill the Lycan at the end. I think we should at least hear what he has to say. We're all here anyway."

Taeyong can see Ten squirming in his seat - trying his best to keep his mouth shut. Taeil eventually lets out a huff before turning to the rest of the room.

"Kun?"

The Chinese vampire looks up.

"Do you agree too?" Taeil asks him.

Kun closes his eyes in frustration, but nods just the same.

"What is it that you have to tell us, Taeyong?" Taeil finally asks him; taking his seat.

_'There's no room for error,'_ Taeyong thinks as he stands. _'I have to sell this well, there's no going back.'_

"Earlier today when Ten attacked Lucas," - in his seat, Ten immediately makes to get up and protest, but Taeils' glare stops him - "he was probably too angry to question how I got to them so quickly. The truth is, I wasn't just casually strolling the grounds like I told you earlier when we brought everyone back to the castle." Taeyong looks to his right. "I was in the hallway of the west wing with Doyoung, talking, when this all went down."

"Then how did you stop Ten from killing the Lycan?" Kun asks.

Doyoung looks at Taeyong nervously; obviously wanting to know but dreading the answer now that they're here. Taeyong feels that same dread, but pushes it down.

"I teleported."

"Bull shit," Johnny scoffs. "How?"

"It's a neat trick I gained this week," Taeyong answers confidently. "I was going to test it out today anyway, but ended up having to use it last minute when Ten decided to try to kill Lucas."

"So, you're saying the Lycan _didn't_ attack first?" Taeil asks. 

"That's right," Taeyong affirms. "Ten was trying to get a rise out of him in the woods. All Lucas did, which I already punished him for, was growl when Ten went too far. Ten decided to open him up, nearly killing my pet, because he lacks any ethical sense of control as a vampire."

" _EXCUSE ME?_ " Ten roars.

" _Ten, I have not given you permission to speak!_ "

The petite vampire cowers back into his seat; still seething at Taeyong. 

"As I was saying," The purple haired vampire continues; mildly irked. "Ten provoked my pet, and when Lucas didn't bite, he attacked first. I think that reflects poorly on someone who's been alive nearly as long as I have as a creature of the night."

Taeil considers this in his seat, eyes thin. "You mentioned you teleported," the elder says. "how?"

"Before I get to that, I also have to tell you that Lucas found scents out in the woods that he couldn't report earlier because he was attacked."

Kun gasps. Yuta's go wide in disbelief. 

"Scents?"

"Yes," Taeyong confirms. "scents that mean the Lycans who were here last night were marking their territory. Considering they were right at our gates; I think it's safe to say they - whoever they are - want to cause trouble... and they're not afraid to do it."

The room goes quiet as the information settles in. Taeyong can see the cogs in Taeils' mind turning. He feels his chest ease; clearer now that he's going to win this case. 

"I think you're lying," Johnny frowns; leaning forward towards the purple haired vampire. Taeyong can feel his fangs poke out a bit at the accusation. He'd hoped Johnny would keep his jealousy at a minimum.

" _Oh?_ " Doyoung huffs out. "and why is that?"

The taller vampire smirks; eyes never leaving Taeyong.

"Yangyang and Hendery went with them, and Ten had them separate to search the grounds after the dog couldn't pick up anything. They were gone for maybe five minutes before they smelled blood in the air. You can't expect me to believe that in those five minutes the dog found something in the same spot he'd been standing in, that he _hadn't_ smelled before."

Taeyong frowns, eyes narrowed into slits. He can see Ten smirking in his seat.

"They have no reason to lie, Taeyong. Especially not to me since I'm their blood masters' blood master," Johnny says smugly. "So, either you're lying to save your _mutt_ , or he's lying to save his _own_ ass and you're _whipped_ enough to believe it."

Johnny stands - smirking like the cat who ate the canary -"Which is it, doll?"

Taeyong lets his shoulders sag; eyes on the floor. Doyoung and Yuta exchange looks as Taeil sighs. 

The giggle that escapes Taeyong before he breaks out into outright laughter both startles and confuses them all.

' _I'm really going to have to say it_ ,' Taeyong thinks miserably as he laughs; completely unhinged. _'I really should have thought of a different plan - oh well._ '

" _Taeyong?_ " Doyoung asks carefully. "Are you-"

"He's not lying, Johnny," Taeyong cuts in; mid giggle - an eerie calm on his face. "and I don't like being accused of lying to my _own_ blood master."

Johnny growls, his fangs on full display, as he angrily steps towards the smaller vampire. Taeyong doesn't move as Johnny gets right up in his face.

"Well, someone's lying, _babe_ ," the taller vampire hisses. "I can give _you_ the benefit of the doubt because of that pretty mouth of yours - _but the dog is a different story_. Are you sure you want to stand there and tell me you _trust_ him?"

"He's not lying, Johnny," Taeyong repeats.

The taller vampire hisses once again - this time in frustration. Doyoung and Yuta stand up quickly; ready in case Johnny decides to get physical.

" _How do you know?_ " Johnny spits. " _How can you trust so blindly what that dog tells you?_ "

Taeyong looks away.

_Now or never._

"Lucas can't lie to me for the same reason that I can now teleport," he says; hand coming up to pull at his collar. Everyone watches in horror as the mating mark becomes visible. 

"He claimed me."

Taeyong blinks and misses the speed at which Yuta and Doyoung both rush forward to stop Johnny from lunging at him. He does, however, see the pure rage on his blood masters face. Eyes black, fangs bared, with a screech able to render weaker animals defenseless - Johnny is _beyond_ livid. 

" ** _You're a disgrace!_** " Johnny snarls. Taeyong doesn't move from his spot as he stares at what he's done. " ** _You filthy blood whore, you let that fucking thing claim you- you belong to me! I AM YOUR MASTER!!_** "

" _Fuck!_ " Yuta yells as Johnny starts thrashing in their hold.

" _Johnny, stop!_ " Doyoung tries; but panics when he finds that his grip is starting to slip.

"Get him out of here," Taeil says quickly. "Kun help them, and take Ten with you."

Taeyong watches, tense, as the four of them practically drag his blood lord out of the room - kicking and screaming the entire way.

' _The last time he got that mad he killed an entire village of people just for spite,_ ' Taeyong recalls as Johnny's screams finally disappear down the hall. 

"It's going to take us sedating him to get him to calm down, you know that, right?" Taeil finally says. "You're the one person who makes him lose his shit."

"I know," The smaller vampire nods. 

"Taeyong," His elder says carefully. "Is that really his claiming mark?"

He shifts closer, letting Taeil inspect the bite to confirm that - yes, he fucked up big time.

"You know I can't let this slide," Taeil sighs. "You're one of the best elders we've ever had, nobility thanks to who turned you on top of that, but a Lycan claiming you is unacceptable."

Taeyong looks down. The shame running through him feels worse than it did in the morning when he first saw the bite. 

"I know."

Over the years he's come to respect Taeil like a father figure. As the oldest of all living vampires - surviving two mass extinction attempts against their kind - Taeil is powerful and wise. Vlad the Impaler had nothing on him. _'Vladie was all for show,'_ a now deceased vampire had said once. ' _Taeil was the one really calling the shots, but history doesn't remember him because he didn't die._ '

Taeyong had grown up in the vampire world seeing firsthand how vital and respected Taeil was - and always would be. Johnny may be the one who turned him nearly three centuries ago, but it was Taeil that Taeyong revered. One of the few vampires who hadn't tried sleeping with him; Taeil always expected Taeyong to prove his own worth - rather than let Johnny give it to him.

That's why admitting to this mistake hurts.

Showing him the bite.

Letting Taeil down.

It... hurts. 

"What did you mean by it's the reason you can teleport?" his elder asks. There's no malice in his tone, just genuine confusion.

"I honestly don't completely understand, yet," Taeyong admits somberly. "But it seems Lucas is royalty and his bite may have caused an abnormal reaction. I teleported right to him when he was about to be killed, similar to how Lycan mates can find each other when one is in trouble."

" _He's royalty?_ " Taeil asks; shocked. 

"Yes, if you can believe that," Taeyong nods. "Apparently Lycans are archaic enough to still believe sexual preference is enough of a reason to send your son to his death, which is why he's here. Lucas is as Royal as I am noble, maybe even more since he was birthed a Lycan."

Taeil shakes his head, "This just keep getting stranger by the second." He looks exhausted now; sitting back down in his seat trying to muddle everything over. "What you said... about the Lycan scents found outside, is that true?"

It's not. Taeyong knows it's not. But he can't take it back - not if he wants to live. Not if he wants to keep himself and Lucas both alive a little longer.

"Part of the bonding bite for Lycans is the ability to sense each other's emotions," Taeyong nods. "I can tell when he lies to me."

"Does that mean my children have lied to me?" Taeil arches a brow.

" _No,_ " Taeyong quickly responds. "I think Lucas remaining quiet was because he could tell Ten was up to something. Yangyang and Hendery's stories line up with what Lucas told me. Ten did send them off to search. They have not lied to you, or anyone."

Taeil rubs his face in frustration.

"What else does that bite do for you?"

Taeyong shrugs; "I'm still figuring that out, sir."

The elder nods and stands; walking over and stopping right in front of him much like Johnny had done moments ago. "There's only one other thing I need to know from you Taeyong," Taeil practically whispers. Taeyong looks directly in his eyes and understand his answer will make or break this whole fiasco. 

"Did you ask for him to claim you, or did the Lycan do so without your consent?"

Taeyong falters.

He'd technically asked for it.

In a weird way.

Though, telling the oldest vampire in existence that you yelled out during sex to be claimed as some sort of closeted kink probably wasn't a good way to end their conversation. Then again - telling Taeil that Lucas had claimed him without consent was surely going to get him killed.

_'Maybe that's what Taeil secretly hopes for'_ , he thinks. ' _Then it's all on Lucas. An easy mistake to erase by simply killing the source._ ' After all, hadn't he wanted to do the same this morning?

The image of his pets' sullen face from earlier flashes through his head.

A sign of peace from many, but a death sentence to one... Lucas was only ever being asked to die.

" _... you're the first person to ever show me kindness..._ "

"I asked for it," Taeyong says finally.

" _You did?_ "

"Yes," Taeyong confirms; more stern in his tone. "He told me he was royal before he claimed me, and I've known for decades what bonding can do for Lycans. I figured it was a risky, but ultimately smart move on my part, because we could use that to our advantage in the future."

"Taeyong what you've done, for centuries, has been looked down on as an abomination." Taeil tells him in a rush. "For as long as I have been alive, there has only ever been two other cases of this happening, and there's a reason we don't speak of them."

Oh. He didn't know that.

"This has happened before?" Taeyong crosses his arms; curious.

"Yes, and the outcome was disastrous," Taeil says with a glazed look on his face. "Our bloodlines were not meant to mix. The first documented case was consensual, but it came with a price. The second was not, and they were both put to death." The elder looks up at him seriously. "The rest of the castle cannot find out about this."

"Of course," Taeyong agrees. 

"It should go without saying that I am very disappointed in you right now. This was a very reckless thing for you to do. However," Taeil pauses; sighing. "I will not be putting either of you to death."

Taeyong wants to cry. Both in shame and in relief.

"Thank you, master-"

"Don't thank me yet," Taeil cuts in. "If this bond is capable of making you teleport, there must be other things it can do. We may be heading in to trouble with Lycans and we need your bond to work for us in any way it can. I expect you and your pet in my chamber early tomorrow morning to begin testing this bond and what its limitations are. The ability to tell if the other is lying is interesting - even the last two vampires to be claimed by Lycans could not do that."

"Of course, master."

They bow to each other and Taeil exits the room - leaving Taeyong behind to scream internally.

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It's dark out when Lucas wakes up. The balcony is open, and he can feel the chilly autumn air as it quietly dances into the room. He doesn't remember when exactly he fell back to sleep - but if it's nightfall now then his duties for the day have long since been over.

_'good,_ ' Lucas thinks. _'I won't risk opening up these wounds again.'_

Looking around the room, he notices the absence of one small vampire. There's water on the table though, and some sort of soup next to it, so Taeyong had to have come back to check on him at some point. Lucas tries to zero in on his vampire's location through their bond but frowns when he comes back with nothing.

It's frustrating - really.

Lycans are supposed to be able to feel and locate their mates easily once bonded, but somehow, he couldn't even have this much. Even lycans who'd been in arranged marriages had mating bonds stronger than this. 

Lucas groans, displeased with everything going on, and tries to sit up. At the very least nothing hurts anymore, just a little sore around the ribs where the gash had been made. He's able to get up quickly, and maneuver himself on two steady feet to the table hosting much needed soup. It's almost comical how quickly his mouth waters when the aroma hits him - deer meat. 

"You can thank Yangyang for the meat."

The sputter Lucas lets out makes Doyoung crack a grin.

"Sorry," the vampire says casually as he strolls in to the room. "I didn't mean to surprise you. I thought you Lycans had superior hearing."

"We do," Lucas confirms; annoyed. "but it's an instinctual thing and really only activates in the presence of danger, or when I'm actively looking for a sound."

"Oh," Doyoung chatters out. "see I did not know that. Thank you for the information. I guess there's much to learn."

Something's off. Kim Doyoung - who's previously made note of being Taeyongs true best friend - has never been so... friendly, before. It's weird, and Lucas has had enough of strange acting vampires for one day.

"I don't want to be rude, since that didn't go so well last time," Lucas says carefully. "but can I ask why you're here? It's just me."

The vampire moves to sit on Taeyongs bed. He blinks up at Lucas innocently. "I am simply here to make sure you eat," he smiles.

Lucas isn't convinced, and it must show on his face judging by the vampire holding his hands up in surrender. Doyoung, along with vampires like Yuta, was one of the more mild-mannered ones - but that didn't make the Lycan feel any more at ease. 

"Honestly, Taeyong has been in a mood all day and he wanted me to make sure you'd gotten your strength back so he could properly feed tonight."

Lucas frowns, "That's it?"

"That's it," Doyoung smiles; waving his hand at Lucas dismissively. "Do please eat your soup. Taeyong spent a lot of time on it and he hates cutting up deer meat."

That makes a little fluttery feeling bubble up in inside Lucas. "I thought you said Yangyang made this?" he asks. Doyoung wags his elegant finger at the Lycan in a _'no'_ motion. "But you said to thank him?"

"I said to thank him for the _meat_ , yes," the vampire corrects. "But he just killed the animal. He didn't skin in, cut it, and much less, cook it. That was all your mate."

"Oh," Lucas grins; picturing Taeyong cooking for him in an oversized apron. "That's-"

_Wait._

The Lycan goes cold.

"What did you just-"

" _Mate,_ " Doyoung repeats; not missing a beat. "You're mates, I know. We all do."

Lucas swallows.

Taeyong isn't in the room.

Doyoung is an elder vampire.

They'd wanted to (or rather, _Johnny_ had wanted to) kill him just hours ago.

The Lycan feels his brain going a mile a minute - instincts on high alert. Was this their way of doing it? Cornering him with food? Was he going to have to fight for his life again already?

"I can practically hear your thoughts from here, Lycan," the vampire groans with an eye roll. "If they'd wanted you dead for this, they'd have done it already. I wasn't sent here to kill you."

Lucas still remains tense; his soup untouched. The vampire grimaces. 

"Look, I can sit here and be civil so you can eat, or I can show you my fangs until you swallow every last bite. Pick one, because I will _not_ have Taeyong scold me later for this."

A pout finds its way to Lucas' face, and Doyoung has to hold back the smirk of disbelief that threatens his features. He's never seen a Lycan _pout_. What a weird day it's been.

The Lycan eyes his bowl of soup; still hot and smelling heavenly. 

"All I have to do is eat? You're not here to kill me?"

"Yes, eat. _No,_ not killing you," Doyoung deadpans. "While you're at it though, fetch me a glass of that good stuff Taeyong keeps for me in his mini bar. I didn't get to enjoy my glass earlier."

Sensing no immediate danger (and also being sort of weirded out by Doyoungs behavior) Lucas walks over to the mini bar and fishes out the bottle labeled ' _fossil fuel'_. He carefully pours the vampire a glass - noting the strong smell it gives off - and hands it to him. Doyoungs face entirely lights up and Lucas shutters at the nearly black liquid passing the others lips.

"Perfectly aged," the vampire hums happily. Lucas frowns.

"How do you drink that stuff?" he asks bewildered. He's honestly not trying to look so disgusted but when he notes the little chunks at the edge of the rim he gags.

"How do you sink your teeth into a vampire?" Doyoung sasses back. When Lucas opens his mouth but promptly shuts in in defeat, he smiles. "Now," he says. "go finish your meal. I'll let you have your fill while I enjoy my drink. After that, I have some matters to discuss with you."

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The wind bites. He's already so used to being cold most of the time that Taeyong almost forgets low the climate drops as they approach the winter months. It's not drastically different just yet, they _are_ still in autumn, but he can feel the chill in the wind now. A chill that wasn't there last month when he'd taken out an older group of new bloodlings for their first hunt.

"Is it safe to go out tonight?" A small bloondling to his right asks him. "I heard that last night Lycans were near the gates!"

"I hear they were here to take back the one they gave to us!" - another young vampire adds.

"I heard that Yuta scared them off!" the bloodling right behind him ( _Mark_ , of course) squeaks. At that, Taeyong halts their pace and turns to face his young brood. They're all dressed in black, each with their own large cloak. "I am concerned with how information travels in these castle walls," Taeyong smirks; making the group go quiet. "Tell me, my children, are we too scared to go on your first hunt?"

"No way!" Mark cheers on the tips of his toes. "I'm so ready for his!"

"Me too! Haechan agrees; fist thrusted up in the air.

Taeyong notices the lack of response from his third student of the night. "What about you, Renjun?" he asks softly. "Are you ready for tonight?"

The little vampire looks away unsure.

"I want to be brave," he mumbles. "I want to be like you, Taeyong hyung, and all the other elders but..."

"But?"

Renjun looks up, "I just don't want to die again."

Turning; the process by which vampires are created. A fate almost worse than death depending on who you ask. Ancient books tell stories of how evolution favored humans as a weaker species, but only because they weren't bitten by wolves or bats and then ensnared by dark magics. In the beginning there was ' _origin'_ , a colony of them, their ancestors. They were born vampires rather than bitten - but that was long ago. Now, in order to keep their kind alive and numbers strong, vampires had to turn those willing. The only way to do so, decreed by their ancestors, was if the specimen was on the brink of death. No exceptions.

Renjun was turned the week before last. He'd been born of mercy, after Doyoung witnessed his attack at gunpoint after visiting his dying grandmother in the hospital. _"I turned him because he was begging,"_ Doyoung had said when he'd arrived with the shaking boy in tow. " _he didn't want to let his grandma die alone. I made him an immortal so he may have that dying wish."_

So Doyoung had done what all the elders would do to someone willing - he waited until Renjuns heart stopped, and then sank his teeth in as his life left his body.

"Lucky for you," Haechan perks up. "we're vampires now. We're like superheroes! _We can't die!_ "

"Well, that's not entirely true," Taeyong says with an arch in his brow. "We can still die but it's much harder for us to do so."

Mark raises his hand - a curious look on his face.

"Does that mean garlic can't really kill us?"

The two other bloodlings laugh; brightening the mood. Taeyong smiles. "No," he pats Marks head. "Garlic does not kill us. It just makes us sick. So when you eat pizza, don't let them add it, or you will spend your day throwing it all back up like Jungwoo did this morning."

A chorus of _'ew'_ rings among the new vampires and Taeyong decides that means they can continue their journey. They arrive to the west gate quickly after that. Taeyong punches in the code on the cement wall to his left and the gate opens.

"Today," he smiles as he walks forward into the woods. "my children of the night, you will drink for the first time."

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"That was amazing!" Lucas grins. Doyoung has both eyebrows raised; his glass still half empty.

"You eat like a dog," the vampire gapes. "Did you even breathe in between bites?"

Lucas pouts, and once again Doyoung can't believe what he's seeing.

"I finished my food like you asked," Lucas says as he pours himself a glass of water. "what did you need to talk to me about?"

That snaps the vampire back to life, and he wipes the disbelief off his face. "Yes, _that,_ " he clears his throat; sitting up-right. "It's nothing too personal really I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the position you're in."

Lucas downs his glass, "- and that would be?"

"Johnny won't stop until you're dead."

The Lycan stills - his heart rate picking up. He doesn't want to show how nervous that makes him, but he's fully aware of the severity of that statement.

"When Taeyong revealed that you marked him as your mate, you became Johnnys' number one target. That vampire will not rest until he knows you are six feet underground."

That makes sense. Johnny Suh's obsession with his mate is beyond help. By allowing himself to become an obstacle, Lucas had secured his death - again.

"Do you think he'll let me keep all my limbs attached when he buries me?" he jokes. "Probably not, right?"

"This is _serious_ , Lycan," Doyoung growls with narrows eyes. Lucas' smile drops. "I have read those books we keep, just like Taeyong. However, unlike my best friend, I have looked into the matter further. Tell me, were you going to tell him that if you die - _he will feel that pain too?_ Or were you just going to omit that part of the bond?"

The Lycan looks down. He should have known Doyoung was smarter than he looked.

" _Well?_ "

"It won't kill him," Lucas rushes out in a hushed, but frustrated, voice. "The pain of me dying isn't enough to kill him. He's a vampire. Even other Lycans don't die from that." He stands up to pace around the room; arms crossed. "He'll feel pain but he'll get over it and-"

"Taeyong is not some emotionless robot," Doyoung cuts in; surprising the Lycan. "If he has got you fooled that he is, then I honestly don't understand why you claimed him in the first place. This stupid wall he has put up over the years is a façade he learned thanks to Johnny. It's how he protects himself - how he keeps cold."

Lucas blinks. "I know," he says; looking directly at the vampire. "I saw it come down that day I was gifted to the castle. But that doesn't change that Taeyong doesn't feel anything for me."

He'd never forget.

The moment he'd been kicked to the ground. Emotionally and physically - Lucas was lower than dirt. His own father had given him up. Left him without a ' _goodbye_ ' as he walked out of the castle that day. The fake welcome smiles the vampires had given them were gone, and he was on the ground wondering if his death would be quick or if he'd be tortured first.

He didn't want to live anymore.

Every fiber of his being had screamed that he needed to get up - _be an alpha!_

But... 

His spirit was gone. After years of not knowing any warmth, being left to die in such a way... Lucas was just empty. He really didn't have a reason to keep breathing.

That's when he'd looked up. Big, soft, eyes had met his, and a hand had caressed his cheek with such care that he'd almost cried. It was Taeyong - features so beautiful Lucas couldn't look away. There was a gentleness in his eyes that the Lycan would give anything to see again; because seconds later it had been replaced by a wicked smirk and cunning mouth. Never again had Lucas seen that little sliver of Taeyong, but God how he wanted to.

"I cannot give you hope, Lycan, that Taeyong will ever be capable of loving you. You are not one of us," Doyoung says from his seat. "You are _mortal_ , and Taeyong feeds from you because he needs to stay alive in our undead world."

Lucas nods in understanding.

"However, I am not the governor of his heart. It may be dead, but it _is_ there. There was once warmth there for all, and now very few have the privilege of seeing it thanks to his past. In fact - it is this warmth that will not let him keep concubines. He thinks it cruel. Yet, somehow, you're at his side every night. This means that if you die - no matter how little you do or do not mean to him - it _will_ hurt. Far greater than you understand."

"Taeyong," the Lycan murmurs; mostly to himself. "has never kept concubines?"

Doyoung shakes his head. "Never," he confirms. "He tried once when he was still new to our world, according to Taeil, and couldn't bare what his venom was doing to the human girl Johnny gave him. She was as high as a kite all the time - drunk off our poison. It was no life for anyone; according to Taeyong. Lusting uncontrollably for a vampire bite. He couldn't stand it. Johnny killed her, and Taeyong has never tried keeping someone since. Well," he waves his hand. "Until you were given to us."

_'Humans react like_ _that_ _to their venom_ ,' the Lycan thinks. _'But I don't because I'm a Lycan, and we're almost immune to it. It doesn't make me stupid with lust for Taeyongs bite.'_

A light bulb goes off.

"Is that why Taeyong drinks from Lycans?" Lucas asks. "Because he can't watch what the venom does to humans?"

Doyoung smiles, "You catch on fast."

"Oh my god-" Lucas sits back down; hand over his mouth. "I can't even- I mean, that makes sense I just-"

"Do not _dare_ tell him I told you," the vampire groans. "He loves having this strange taste in blood. It makes him feel unique. But _yes_ \- Taeyong feeds from your kind to avoid hurting humans. It has been an absolute mess over the years trying to get enough supply to keep him fed," Doyoung frowns. "I was actually relieved when you were brought here. Until Johnny became jealous, that is. "

He can't believe it. 

Literally - he can't believe it.

Sure, Lucas has always known that deep down there was something inherently good about Taeyong - but hearing it from another vampire makes his heart soar.

There's hope.

His need to claim his mate wasn't wrong.

Their bond still has a chance, but...

Lucas frowns again; looking up puzzled about one last thing.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asks. "Why bother telling me _any_ of this? You said it yourself, I'm not one of you. I'm mortal. I'm a _Lycan_. I mean - _come on_ , I'm a Lycan who marked a noble vampire. So, what do you gain from this?"

Doyoung stands and Lucas follows.

"Taeyong is still like a brother to me," the vampire tells him. "I don't like the wall he has constructed either. I may not like you, but I am willing to put species related distastes aside for the sake of Taeyongs' well-being. This bond you two now have may be what he needs to break out of the shell he's made for himself. It goes against everything a vampire believes in - but I want to help you if it means I can help him."

Brothers - a _sibling_ bond. A love that cares and protects. Lucas doesn't need a bond with Doyoung to know he's telling the truth; he can see it in the determination in his eyes. 

"Okay," Lucas nods; extending his right hand. "then let's start off on the right foot."

The vampire grins.

"I believe that is your hand."

Lucas blinks.

"Was that a joke?"

Doyoung shakes his hand; firm. _What a strange day this has been,_ he thinks for the umpteenth time. _really._ "I will do what I can to make sure Johnny does not attempt anything," he says. "I expect you to protect Taeyong well or I'll behead you myself, Lycan."

"Please," the Lycan grins back. "Call me, Lucas."

Then it hits him. The pain. 

Cold.

_Searing_.

It twists inside him and leaves him gasping for air.

"Lucas?" Doyoung frowns as he watches the Lycan double over. " _What's wrong?_ "

Fear.

Pain.

**Fear**.

"T-The bond," Lucas growls out; eyes blown wide and glowing a deep gold. "I-It's Taeyong. Somethings wrong, _he's in trouble!_ "

Doyoung wastes no time. He dials Taeil immediately, watching as Lucas painfully shifts into his Lycan form.

" _Doyoung?_ " Taeil hisses over the receiver. " _I do hope this is important, you know I'm in the middle of-_ "

" _Dispatch a guard squad to the west gate now!_ Something's happened. Taeyong and the bloodlings are in _danger!_ " That's all Doyoung manages to say before he hears the smashing of glass. He whips around in time to see Lucas throw himself out into the cold night.

" _Fuck!_ Lucas, wait!"

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"Now, remember," Taeyong says; highly amused. "you do not have to hunt a deer or a bear, but you do need to bring in something-"

"I SEE A RABBIT!!" Haechan yells before he disappears into the brush. 

"BRO I SAW IT TOO THOUGH!" is all Mark squawks out before he, too, bolts after the animal. Renjun is the only one who stays behind with Taeyong - watching his new friends chase after the small creature. There's a great deal of commotion as they chase after the rabbit, and Taeyong casually makes note of teaching them the art of stealth next.

"They're not gonna catch it," Renjun smiles knowingly. "are they?"

"Well, you never know," the elder chuckles; finding a stump to sit on. "They may just figure out how to work together and-" A loud ' _thud_ ' interrupts him - followed by two vampires groaning. 

_"IT GOT AWAY!"_

_"FUCK!"_

"I take that back," Taeyong sighs; watching Renjun giggle to himself. "You know, if you don't feed soon you will start to feel weak."

The small vampire looks down at the floor; avoiding Taeyongs gaze. "I know," he says with a pout. "but I just, I don't want to kill something, y'know?"

The elder nods; remembering how he'd been the same way. He had wanted nothing to do with blood - rejected all offers Johnny had put before him. Eventually he'd gotten over the disgust when he could no longer take the hunger. Taeyong had been so close to letting the thirst consume him.

"Better to do it now," he tells Renjun. "Take it from me, you do not want the thirst knocking at your door. Very few vampires have the will to keep themselves from killing once it is upon them."

Renjuns eyes go wide. Taeyong raises a brow.

"What, is something wrong?"

"What's the _thirst?"_ Renjun asks curiously. Taeyong scoffs.

"Wow," he chuckles; no real humor in his. "They really _don't_ tell you anything in orientation. The thirst, my child, is the need that takes over vampires who go too long without feeding. It is insatiable, and it is deadly to all involved once it settles in your instincts."

Renjun visibly shivers. "H-How long does someone have to go without blood for that to happen to them?" he asks. "Is it more than a week?"

Taeyong hums, making the little vampire more nervous. "Everyone is different," he tells Renjun. "but new vampires are more susceptible to the thirst because they have less control. You would still have to go without feeding for another 2 more weeks to feel anything, but I wouldn't get into the habit putting it off. It is not healthy for you."

The bushes nearby rustle a bit and a squirrel comes into view. Taeyong can see Renjun take a step toward it before shrinking back.

"I would take that as a sign you try your luck," he winks at the little vampire. "I have a feeling you will do much better than the other two. Your blood master is Doyoung, after all."

That seems to give the permanent 20-year-old the courage he needs to take action. In the blink of an eye, Renjun's gone and after the squirrel. Taeyong patiently waits a moment or two - listening intently - before he hears a loud squeal and then a sudden 'snap'.

"He will do just fine," Taeyong smiles to himself. He gets up from his stump, arms crosses, and turns his head left to right. His two other young charges are surprisingly quiet now.

"Hmm," he hums to himself and he looks up at the moon. "Maybe they did catch the rabbit."

" _ **TAEYONG HYUNG!!**_ "

The scream belongs to Haechan.

_"HELP!!"_

A howl pierces the night and Taeyong feels his whole body grow hot with anger.

"Was that a Lycan!?" Renjun yells as he comes rushing back.

_"Stay here!_ " Taeyong instructs before racing in the direction of the screams. He doesn't look back to make sure he's not being followed, but he hopes Renjun has the good sense to stay where he is.

_They're too close to the gates,_ Taeyong thinks as he frantically sprints towards the screams for help. _These bastards must be the same ones from last night!_

_"OH MY GOD, MARK!"_

A loud snap echoes through the woods and Taeyongs blood runs cold. He barrels through thick bushes and finally sees the carnage. There, lying dead on the floor, is a Lycan. Mark stands over it, looking completely worn out and badly injured. Yards away is Haechan, balled up next to a tree with a massive gash down his entire left leg. Since Vampire's don't bleed, Taeyong takes in the extensive amounts of blood splattered everywhere to be from the beast now lying motionless on the floor.

"What happened?" He asks. "Where did the Lycan come from?"

Mark lets himself drop to the floor - body weak from the fight. "We were trying... to find the rabbit..." he manages to say; breathing heavily. "and this thing came... out of nowhere. He got Haechan pretty badly... so I tried to stop him."

Taeyong turns his attention to the lifeless creature.

"He's dead, right?" Marks asks wearily. Taeyong nods and motions for Haechan to stand if he can.

"I will call the other elders to dispatch a squad to this location," He says as he fishes his phone out from his back pocket. "I doubt this thing was working alone-"

" _Taeyong hyung, look out!_ "

The warning comes too late.

He doesn't even have time to turn around before large claws are digging into his back. He gasps at the shock of it all, before his attacker sends him tumbling towards the ground several feet away. The pain is excruciating.

"FUCK!" he yells as he finally stops rolling. The wounds are deep. A low growl followed by quick, heavy, steps approach him from behind. Taeyong somehow summons the strength lift himself up; glancing over at his students and noting they're both huddled at the tree now. The creature halts just a few feet away from him - clearly not interested in two young vampires. Taeyong narrows his eyes as they go pitch black.

It's massive. Too massive. Lycans are normally twice the size of wolves if they're lucky - many only ever growing to the size of a regular domesticated dog - but this things in front of him is much larger. Something's not right. Taeyong can see that the beasts' claws are sharper than a normal Lycan, which would explain how they cut so deeply in to him.

The large Lycan growls, baring its teeth, and Taeyong can see even those are much larger than normal. The canines especially. 

He stands up, keeping a careful eye on the Lycan, and bares his own fangs. The black-haired creature growls low in his throat - eyes red and angry.

_I have never seen one with red eyes before,_ he thinks. _What the hell is this thing?_

"You are trespassing Lycan!" Taeyong bellows out; commanding. "Vampires own the acres around the gates, you know this. While we do not normally impose rules over the woods as they are your kins home - you have created a great crime. You have attacked two vampires and myself, an elder. Surrender now and-"

The beast charges.

Haechan and Mark both scream from their position. Taeyong braces himself to fight; his own features distorted slightly as he takes on his full vampire form. When the creature is mere inches away Taeyong hisses but falls short as a small figure to his left appears and barrels into the creature. He watches - astonished - as the Lycan is thrown several yards away.

"Renjun?" 

The little vampire looks up at him and smiles - breathing heavy as he holds the shoulder he used to ram into the creature. "I saw him charge, I wanted to help," he says with a grin. Taeyong nods, proud; quickly ushering the young vampire to stand behind him as they watch the Lycan get up.

It's mad. _Very_ mad.

The Lycan howls and Taeyong curses. 

_It's signaling backup._

"Renjun," The elder says quickly; taking his phone and shoving it into the young vampires' hands. "Call the elders. Tell them to send all defense squads. Stay with Haechan and Mark and _run_ if you must but do not attempt to fight this thing with me, _understand?_ "

The little vampire nods quickly before running to the tree. Taeyong watches and realizes the Lycan has his gaze pinned on Renjun - its intentions clear. In seconds the beast is charging again, but this time, at the younger vampires. The bloodlings huddle together in fear as Taeyong rushes forward and strikes the Lycan - diverting its attention back to him.

" _Hey you stupid fuck,_ " he yells. " _Stay away from them or I **will** break your neck!_"

With a loud roar the Lycan shakes off the attack and charges at Taeyong; trying to cut him open with its claws. The vampire manages to dodge most of its attempts at hurting him, but one stray swing connects with his shoulder and it sends Taeyong to the ground. The Lycan lunges and pins him to the ground.

_It's too strong!_ The vampire's thoughts race in panic as he tries to free himself. _What the fuck is this thing?_

Snarling, _angry_ , the massive beast roars in Taeyongs face - its breath hot on the vampire's skin. Taeyong hisses at the Lycan, and the beast sinks its teeth into the shoulder he'd connected with earlier. The feeling is cold, sharp, a kind of pain Taeyong has never been subject to before. When the beast shakes its head, jaws still locked on his flesh, and opens the wounds further, Taeyong screams in agony.

The Lycan wines, pulling back slightly at the sound. With less pressure on him, Taeyong immediately breaks free and lunges forward at the Lycan - sinking his own fangs into its neck. The creature trashes wildly; grabbing Taeyong firmly and harshly throwing him towards a large rock. 

Haechan, Mark, and Renjun watch helplessly - terrified - as their elder is thrown towards the rock and lands - limp. The Lycan stalks towards Taeyongs motionless body and howls again into the night. Renjun sees movement in the brush from the corner of his eye and turns his attention - horrified - to find yet another Lycan. One that, unfortunately, is just as large as the one currently after Taeyong. Shaking like leaves, the bloodlings watch as the second Lycan joins the first.

"Renjun," Haechan whispers. "The phone. Use the phone, call Doyoung!"

That's when Renjun realizes with dread that he'd dropped the phone earlier. 

"I don't have it," he says back; panic in his voice. "I don't know where I dropped it, but I _don't have it!_ "

Across the way, body still, Taeyong licks his lips of the blood he'd managed to take from the Lycan. _A hybrid,_ he realizes. _This fucking thing is a hybrid. This blood is sour._ He can hear a second set of large paws approaching him; closing his eyes in frustration at the idea of having to battle two hybrid Lycans. His chances of survival are slim now, at best.

"If you're going to run you need to do it now!" he yells from his position on the floor. 

The bloodlings quickly understand that the statement is thrown at them and scramble to get up and dash back towards the castle. One of the Lycan turns to them and takes a step in their direction but Taeyong leaps into action - distracting them both. Quickly, the vampire jumps into the air and manages to flip backward; securing a spot on one the beasts back. He wraps his arms around the Lycans head and tries to twist, but the second beast knocks him off. Taeyong recovers quickly and lunges again but is easily pinned by both the massive creatures. 

" _Ahhhh!_ " He yells as claws dig into his flesh; large paws once again pressing him into the ground. "Get the fuck off of me, you _stupid-_ "

One of Lycans sinks its teeth into his leg and Taeyong lets out another blood curdling scream. He can feel the other beasts muzzle nosing around his neck, looking for something. When the creature stumbles across Lucas' claiming mark it backs off and howls.

Another howls cut through then, and Taeyong barely registers as both of the Lycans are thrown off of him. There's a dark figure over him now.

"What the-"

Lucas. Standing furious, on all fours in his Lycan form, is Lucas. He's protectively over Taeyongs body now - head low in warning to the other two Lycans to back off. He's growling so menacingly he's salivating - teeth on full display. 

Taeyong knows that, against normal sized Lycans, Lucas is large enough to use his strength to win in a fight. But against two oversized hybrids?

"Lucas," he grits out; his body aching as he tries to move. "Don't-"

The hybrids charge at them and Lucas doesn't hesitate as be roars and lunges forward too. Taeyong gapes at them as he forces himself up into a sitting position. 

It's ugly. The sounds they make as they try to tear each other apart. There's a knot in his stomach, tight, filled with anxiety, as he watches Lucas fend off the two hybrids. He looks lost in fury as he attacks - biting into one of the hybrids and making it bleed. 

"Taeyong!"

He looks away from the fight and sees Doyoung rushing towards him. Behind him are multiple vampires.

"Are you alright?" his best friend asks; inspecting his injuries.

Taeyong doesn't answer as a whimper draws his attention back to the battle in time to see Lucas stumble back; his paw sporting a bloody bite.

" _Why are you all just standing there?_ " Taeyong growls as he turns back to the squads now surrounding him. " _Go help him!_ "

Immediately the guards rush forward; surrounding the two hybrids. The large Lycans roar and growl before they're attacked by dozens of vampires. Lucas falls back and limps to Taeyong - the worry in his eyes very apparent as he approached his vampire. Taeyong reaches forward and lets his pet collapse, tired, in his lap. 

"Taeyong," Doyoung asks again. "Are you alright?"

"I have felt better," he smirks as he pets Lucas' dark fur. "I'm guessing my pet led you to me?"

Doyoung nods, "It's a good thing too, I am not exactly thrilled at the idea of what may have happened had we not arrived." He looks around. "Where are the bloodlings?"

Taeyong waves in the direction of the castle. "They ran that way. Send someone after them to make sure they are okay. Haechan was wounded severely so I do not think they managed to get very far. As for you-" he says; attention now on his Lycan. "While I am impressed, please know I am very unhappy at the idea of not being able to feed again. Your old wound was still healing and now you have a new one."

Lucas whimpers again and Taeyong can feel a pull at the edge of his mind that tells him - somehow - the Lycan doesn't care. Hell, his pet even looks like he's smiling in relief from where he's lying peacefully on his lap.

"Taeyong! Doyoung!"

They look up to see Taeil and Kun. Taeil stops and watches - astonished - as the guard squad bring down two of the largest Lycans he's ever seen in his undead life. Next to him, Kun looks equally shocked.

"Are those _Lycans?_ " The eldest vampire asks. "They're _massive._ "

"They're hybrids."

Everyone turns to look at Taeyong who's too busy watching said Hybrids be killed to spare them a glance. He smirks when the guards finally end them. The loud cracking of bones never so pleasing before this moment.

"I'm sorry," Taeil asks. "did you just say they are _hybrids?_ "

Taeyong looks to Lucas and finds him asleep. "That's right," he confirms. "I bit one and his blood was nothing like that of a Lycan. It was sour - putrid - practically _dead._ The mongrel is a Hybrid. They both are."

Kun's mouth is open as he listens. "T-That's… That's not possible," he stutters out. "Is it?"

"Possible or not, they are what they are," Taeyong says gravely. "And tonight, they almost took me down with little effort. In the middle of the night, right outside our gates, they almost killed me." He makes to stand up and wakes his pet. Lucas startles, going right to high alert mode, but quickly realizes there is no need. "I do not know what we're dealing with here now that they have made their presence known, but it is clear this is not the end."

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Lucas really didn't like the walk back to the castle. His instincts wanted to carry Taeyong back - he was still hurt - but the vampire wouldn't let him. In fact, most of the vampires had not wanted him around, so he'd ended up at the back of the group. Granted he was limping, but _still._ Once back at the castle Taeyong had bandaged his leg and hurried off to shower. 

Now - lying in the vampire's large bed with just a pair of loose silk pajama pants on - Lucas doesn't know what to think of first. 

Those really had been hybrids, and they had been huge. They were strong too. Lucas had never seen anything like it before - couldn't even fathom how they could exist. _Vampires can't have children, can they?_ He thinks to himself. _They're the undead, they can't birth anything living. So does that mean the Lycans were turned by vampires?_

He shakes his head.

"That just makes it all so much more complicated." Lucas murmurs into the room. "And then there's Doyoung and Johnny, too."

Doyoung wanting to help was something he'd never dreamed of. Not once had the vampire shown any signs of compassion towards him, but Lucas understand where he's coming from in regards to protecting Taeyong. It makes sense. If he helps Lucas, he can help Taeyong. Unlike Johnny, whose entire agenda revolves around killing Lucas to get to Taeyong. 

_"This bond you two now have"_ \- He recalls Doyoungs words from earlier. " _maybe what he needs to break out of the shell he's made for himself._ "

It's just a shell. A shell that Taeyong wears well and will take a miracle to break. But with their bond...

The bathroom door swings open to reveal a very hungry looking vampire. Lucas jumps in surprise but one look at the vampire has the blood in his body flying south. He tries not to gawk, really, but it's hard not to think with your dick when Taeyong is standing naked, hair dripping wet, looking like sin with a smirk on his lips. 

"I did not want to feed from you tonight my pet," he smiles wickedly; slim legs sauntering over to the Lycan. "But I simply can't get the image of you being so possessive earlier out of my head."

Lucas swings his legs over the side of the bed and lets Taeyong spread them; finding his place comfortably in-between.

"I think I was being more _protective,_ than possessive," he says back. The Lycans hands immediately find Taeyongs small waist and pull him closer - close enough that he can lick at the claim mark on the vampires' neck. A shiver runs down Taeyongs spine as he does this. Little sparks of arousal course through him the more the Lucas plays with the marked skin.

"It was still hot," he moans out. The little licks on his neck are starting to make him feel dizzy with need.

"Do you feel that?" Lucas asks as he sucks at the skin. Taeyong can only hum at the sensation - enjoying the new discovery.

"This is part of the bond. When I touch the mark, it responds to me."

Taeyong wraps his arms around his Lycans neck. "I think I am going to enjoy that," he says into Lucas' ear. "Now, be a good puppy and lay down for me. I want to ride you before I feed."

Lucas doesn't need to be told twice as he does what he's told. Taeyong makes quick work of his bottoms and situates himself low on the Lycans legs to get better access to his cock. Lucas is already half hard, so Taeyong wastes no time in wrapping his delicate hands around the shaft to bring him completely to life. Lucas hisses at the sensation; watching in fascination as the small vampire works him up. He's enraptured in the sight before him, but a quick glance at the vampire's shoulder has him tensing up.

"Taeyong, wait-" Lucas puts a hand on the vampires own; eyes on the still healing wound. "We can't. Your shoulder-"

"It will be fine, puppy," The vampire assures as he travels up to kiss the Lycans cheek. "Besides, don't you want me to suck-"

"Taeyong I said, no," Lucas says sternly; hands pushing the vampire away. "You're hurt."

Taeyong now looks visibly annoyed. "You're ruining the mood, Lucas," he groans. "I told you, it is fine, and I need to feed so-"

"You don't have to have sex with me to drink from me," Lucas cuts him off; eyes serious. "You're my mate. I want you to be okay. Just take what you need, but I don't want to sleep with you when you're injured."

That throws the vampire off. No one has _ever_ refused his advances. No one. _What an insolent pet,_ Taeyong thinks. _Denying me this. Who does he think he is?_

He's about to shout at the Lycan when he takes in Lucas' bandaged body. If anyone should be taking it easy - it should be _him_ , not Taeyong. The wounds on his own shoulder will be gone by morning because he's a vampire - they heal quickly. But Lucas will still need to take things a bit easy for the next day or two, especially now with his calve torn up. 

There's a sense of guilt that builds up in him and Taeyong shuts it down before it can come to fruition. 

"Sleep," he spits coldly. "I forgot you lost blood again this evening and I can't have you dying on me yet." He moves to get up. "I will feed from you in the morning."

A hand stops him; gripping his own and quickly dragging him back down.

"Lycan what are-" he's pressed close against Lucas' strong figure; face in the crook of the Lycans neck. "What are you doing?"

"Feed," Lucas says simply; tightening his hold on his mate. "You haven't really gotten to do that today. Please, just take what you need."

Being so close to his pulse and the fresh blood underneath skin - Taeyong doesn't put up much of a fight. The delicious smell of Lucas' blood makes his eyes go dark and the hunger he felt earlier comes back. He licks against Lucas's neck - savoring the way he shivers under his touch - before sinking his teeth in. Lucas tenses up but soon relaxes as the venom takes effect. 

Taeyong is practically moaning as he feeds, and that brings a smile to the Lycans face. He pets his vampires purple hair and feels himself drifting off to sleep.

"I'm so... sleepy," he yawns; eyes now very heavy. "you should get some sleep too, hyung..."

The last thing Lucas registers before he succumbs to the dream world is a pair of wet lips on his own and a faint - _'goodnight'_.

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	4. Testing Limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So," Taeyong hums skeptically; careful eyes on Taeil as he straps Lucas into a chair. "Enlighten me, because this seems more like a kink than a test." He watches as the elder tightens the thick leather straps around his pets' wrists; finding that he doesn't like the set up as Lucas visibly flinches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this has a LOT of warnings for specific reasons:  
> \- mentions of SUICIDE and DEPRESSION (Tens past)  
> \- Johnny is very abliest in this chapter, I know, I know, I'm sorry but his character is an asshole and it upsets everyone trust me.  
> \- Lots of gore for the tests. You were warned.

The sun is bright when he wakes up, but that's not what catches his attention first. The aroma in the room is sweet, intoxicating even, almost like fresh baked sugar cookies - the kind his mother use to make before life became complicated. Lucas loves it; wants to wake up to it every day. Who wouldn't want to wake up to fresh baked goods? He rolls over lazily to pinpoint the location of the delicious aroma, finding his vampire mate standing in the middle of the room.

"Taeil is expecting us in his chambers this morning," Taeyong throws over his shoulder as he dresses; long milky legs still on full display. He's dressed from the waist up, messing with the buttons of his baby blue dress shirt, and his hair is tousled with little waves. It's cute. Lucas blinks away the slumber still clinging to his eyes - intent on getting a better view.

"Hurry and get dressed for the day. I have a few things I need to-" Taeyong stops; his full attention now on the Lycan on his bed. His eyes are blown wide; and he's extremely focused for having just woken up. "Lucas are you listening you me?"

Lucas nods because, yes, he _is_ listening. He's just not fully paying attention - his alpha wolf too enamored with the way Taeyongs figure glows in the morning light. Warm orange hues caress every angle of the vampires' face. His large eyes twinkle in a way that remind the Lycan of stars - pretty, and never ending. Oh, how Lucas wishes the button-up was just a few inches shorter; the hem covering down to almost mid-thigh. Even so - he thinks - Taeyong could be dressed in a parka and he'd still be perfect. Beautiful, strong, _fuckable_ \- the only thing missing is a belly full of his pups.

Yes, his _mate,_ his beautiful little vampire, carrying his pups would be the best. Lucas can feel a heat pool low in his abdomen at the thought. A pity, really, that vampires can't birth children. Lucas would give anything to see Taeyong carrying theirs.

" _Puppy_ ," Taeyong smirks; seeing the lust behind those eyes. "You seem a little... _off_ today." He slowly steps forward, hips swinging side to side with intent, enjoying the way Lucas follows. When he's right in front of the bed he leans forward; knee on the edge as he puts both hands on his pet. "You seem to be... distracted?"

The sparks from before are back - Taeyong can feel them at the base of his spine. This time, though, he can also sense something attached at the edges of his subconscious. They're not his own feelings - he knows that because they're not all encompassing - so he guesses they must be from Lucas. They're heated, needy, _loving_ even - and they will him to come closer. Taeyongs lips inch forwards after a moment of still silence; his own instincts kicking in at the rapid increase in the Lycans heart rate. It's almost dizzying to place a quick peck on Lucas's lips because the vampire has the strong need to bite. The small kiss is enough to snap Lucas out of it though, and Taeyong yelps when he's pulled onto the bed - trapped under the Lycan.

"Lucas what are you-"

A low growl shuts him up as the Lycan begins roughly nosing along Taeyongs entire neck. The vampire knows what he's doing, he's read about it, but it still puzzles him.

"Are you _scenting me?_ "

Lucas nips lightly at the bonding mark and causes Taeyong to mewl in pleasure. He'd forgotten about the new sweet spot.

"You smell so good," Lucas moans into his ear. "so, _so_ damn _good_."

It clicks then and Taeyong can't believe he hadn't seen it coming - especially now with their bond. He puts both his hands on the Lycans shoulder and tries to push him away but finds he can't. He tries again but still, Lucas doesn't budge. Panic sets in for a moment as Lucas yanks his hands off of him and pins them above his head with ease.

" _I want to breed you_ ," Lucas whispers heatedly into his skin. The tone in his voice sends an involuntary shiver up Taeyongs spine in the best way. " _I want to fill you with my pups, mate you over and over again, and mark you up so everyone knows you're mine_."

"So forward today, baby," Taeyong hums; smiling wickedly. His eyes are pitch black now as he leisurely grinds up against Lucas. The Lycan is all too happy to respond, licking at Taeyongs neck; too invested to notice the vampire change forms. "I would love to play with you puppy, but we really can't keep Taeil waiting."

Taeyong kicks up - hard. It sends Lucas flying off the bed. The Lycan hits the wall opposite them, and breaks two frames on his way down to the floor with a loud ' _crack_ '. The purple haired vampire immediately shifts back to a more human form as he rushes to inspect the damage.

" _Ow_ ," Lucas groans in pain; eyes wide and innocent again. "What was _that_ for?"

"For not telling me your rut was nearing," Taeyong sasses; hand on his hip as he shakes his head. "I will _not_ be at the receiving end of Taeils furry because you're horny."

Lucas looks ready to say something back but stops and blinks up rapidly at his mate.

"My... rut?" He asks; confused. Taeyong simply gives him an equally perplexed look. 

" _Please_ tell me this is not your first?"

Lucas shakes his head, standing carefully. "I've had them before. It's just..."

Taeyong blinks; arms crossed over his chest as his pet looks away - embarrassed. 

"We don't have time, Lucas. Spit it out."

"We're bonded now," the taller male says quietly; eyes firmly on the broken frame pieces lying on the ground. "I think you're triggering it. I'm not supposed to go into rut again until the start of the new year."

Taeyong raises a brow at that; his interest suddenly _very_ peaked at this new information. " _I_... " he murmurs to himself as he shifts closer to Lucas; catching his line of sight and holding his gaze. "... am the cause for your rut? You mean that _I_ drive that beast out that had me pinned just now?"

Lucas can see the twinkle again in the vampires' eyes and wants desperately to kiss him as he nods. Taeyong himself feels his body vibrate; something about having such control over the Lycan making him absolutely giddy.

"Hmm," the vampire smiles; and Lucas feels his pulse pick up at the pretty sight. "For centuries I have driven men and women alike _wild_ \- had them _begging_ at my feet. Humans and vampires have always been so willing to do whatever to have me writhing under them - but _this_. To see it pull this side of you out... something so _feral_."

"Taeyong _please_ ," Lucas breathes out; forehead now resting on the vampires - centimeters away from his lips. "That was just a warning. My hormones are wired only to you now. If you trigger my full rut I can't-"

"How long?" Taeyong asks excitingly. Lucas tries not to choke on his spit.

"What?"

"How long until your instincts can't be held back? How long until you have to give in?"

Lucas can see the life in the vampire's eyes, can _feel_ the drive within him through their bond, and it sends sparks flying to his head.

"I've never had it triggered before, but normally my body starts acting on my rut five days before it takes full effect."

Taeyong nods as he creates distance between them; going back to fixing his button up. "That should be plenty of time for your injuries to heal completely, so I will be able to feed while you fuck me until I can't see straight."

Lucas has to will the thoughts that come to mind away as he moves to get dressed, because _really_ , Taeyong still doesn't have pants on and it's _not_ fair.

"Perhaps this bond has more pros than cons after all," Taeyong continues saying (mostly to himself) as he walks into his closet. He pushes back row after row of clothing before he finds what he's looking for. "I never experienced sex with a Lycan before you, much less a rut, and thus far it has been very fulfilling. Your previous partners must have been very satisfied."

Lucas pauses in zipping up his pants. "I didn't have partners before you, Taeyong."

A beat of silence follows before a black and gold button-up is thrown out from the closet. Lucas catches it, barely, and notes it's a size larger than the vampire. Before he can ask, Taeyong walks out of the massive space with a frown. _He's at least got pants on now_ \- Lucas thinks humorlessly. 

"I forget your kinds ridiculous way of thinking," the vampire snaps. "I assume that because of your sexual orientation you were made to spend your ruts alone?"

Lucas nods. Taeyong rolls his eyes so hard he swears they'll pop out if he does it again.

"I am afraid I will never understand Lycans," the vampire sighs as he motions for Lucas to put on the shirt he'd just thrown at him. "We torture people too, but only our enemies. I am sure the pain was excruciating. We have books about it here in the castle, and they describe such things to be agonizing for your kind."

Taeyong watches carefully as Lucas goes quiet. His eyes are dull, a huge contrast to the light in them before, and Taeyong notes how he slowly puts his arms through the button-up. _He's contemplating his words_ , Taeyong concludes. _Maybe this is a touchier subject to approach than I anticipated._

"Do you know what it's like to be on fire?" Lucas finally asks him; hands busy on the buttons of his shirt. "Not like someone set you on fire, but like your body's burning from the inside out?"

With a nod, Taeyong sits and crosses his legs. "It's been a long time since I was turned, so I don't personally remember, but I am told that when someone receives that bite, they feel like they are on fire. Our venom isn't forgiving when bringing a human into our world. Death is painful, and our bite isn't any better for messing with it."

Lucas hums and sits back on the bed. "Well," he continues. "when you go through a rut it starts small. It just gets uncomfortably hot for the first hour, sometimes two. That heat grows though, and the longer you go without release the more it hurts. Once you start releasing pheromones with someone else, a partner, it simmers and goes away and all you have left is unimaginable lust. It's great when it's just lust, but..." Lucas stops; recalling all the times he'd been locked away in the past. All the times he was forced to deal with his rut on his own. "If you're left alone, with no one to help you, it just hurts. It doesn't stop until the rut it over."

Taeyong dreads knowing, but he has to ask, "How long do your ruts last?

The Lycan sighs. "Four days," he says.

_Four days_ , Taeyong repeats in his head. _Four days of torture - for something he cannot control_. He has always considered himself passive, safe for a few encounters with jealous vampires in the past and present, but hearing how Lucas's _own family_ treated him leaves a sour taste in Taeyongs' mouth. The kind of taste that hasn't bubbled up in him since he was still just a lowly, pathetic, human wondering the streets of Paris. 

"Your family didn't deserve you," he says angrily. Lucas snaps his attention up at that. 

"Those vile beasts should have been the ones- I mean, how could they just-" Realizing what he's saying Taeyong blinks; quickly looking away. Lucas catches it though; the fear in the vampire's eyes - the way they falter for the briefest of seconds.

"Hurry and finish getting dressed," Taeyong rushes out; standing and making his way to the door. "I'll explain on the way to Taeils room what you missed from the meeting yesterday."

Lucas just stares as the doors shuts - his heart beating hard against his rib cage. The raw emotions moving through him make his head spin. They aren't his own - at least, not all of them. Some of those emotions are coming from _Taeyong_.

When he shuts the door behind him Taeyong feels his heart lurch. It's cold and dead, but metaphorically speaking it feels and right now does it _feel_. 

"Stupid pet," he mutters as he forces himself to calm down; not wanting to channel these feelings to Lucas. Feelings don't belong in a castle of vampires. He's had enough time to learn that lesson over the years - and he's not about to let a _Lycan_ ruin his undead way of living.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Taeyong whips his head up to see Ten casually sauntering over; sly smirk on his face. He straightens instantly; offering narrowed eyes and a wicked grin of his own.

"You would enjoy that wouldn't, you?"

Ten takes a moment to ponder; stopping right in front of Taeyong as he inspects his nails. "You bitch slapped me into the next century," he says before looking up at Taeyong. "So, yeah, I _would_ enjoy that, actually."

"Actually princess, I _punched_ you," Taeyong corrects matter-of-factly. "and it's not my fault you can't keep your temper under control."

"Maybe you should keep a tighter leash on your dog," Ten snaps back. "Then I wouldn't have to put him in his place when he barks at the wrong person."

"There you go again," Taeyong sighs; uninterested. "Blaming Lucas for your own indiscretion. Really, _Tenny_ , does not having Johnny up your ass make you this cranky? Don't you think it might be time to unclench?"

That makes the petite vampire light up with fury.

"Jealous he spends his nights with me when he's bored of you?" Ten snarls. "He mentioned the other day that he _loves_ that I'm flexible. He can't get that from your stiff ass."

It's not that it bothers him, really, because Taeyong has long since stopped being jealous over Johnny. It's just that, like every other time they've interacted, Taeyong can't give Ten the last word. It's always been like this. Ever since Ten first met him and had the unfortunate luck of finding out about their blood masters' unhealthy obsession with him. An obsession that Ten tried (and continues to try) to break

"One of these days you'll wake up and realize that it doesn't matter how far back you can put your legs behind you head," Taeyong drawls; watching the change in Tens expression. "Our blood master isn't capable of loving anyone or anything but himself."

Ten scoffs. "You're just saying that because he hasn't touched you since you got your dog."

"No," the purple haired vampire smiles. "I say it because he hasn't stopped trying to get into my pants since I told him I no longer wish to sleep with him. Which is how he ended up at your willing and eager door. So, in a way, you have me to thank for getting laid since I wasn't about to put out."

Tens' eyes go dark as he bares his fangs and hisses. The display is unimpressive, Taeyong knows he's stronger, but a strange sense of concern creeps into him. Johnny has always been a trigger topic for Ten. Riling him up has always been easy when it comes to their blood master - but to give in so quickly to his anger like this?

"Careful now," Taeyong smirks; arms crossed. "threatening my Lycan may have been permissible by the elders, but attacking me will not be. Watch who you show your fangs to."

Neither of the vampires flinch when the door to Taeyongs room suddenly opens to reveal an annoyed Lycan. Lucas had, of course, heard the entire exchange and wasn't entirely pleased to find Ten, of all vampires, baring his teeth at his mate.

"Now, if you will excuse us," Taeyong smiles as he begins to walk away; nodding at Lucas to follow. "Taeil is waiting, and we really must not keep him waiting."

Lucas wants to ask if everything is really okay (Ten still looks like he's ready for murder) but decides against it as Taeyong hurriedly makes his way down the hall.

"You're a disgrace to this castle you know!" Ten yells after them. That makes Taeyong stop and Lucas stills behind him as well. 

"You let that fucking animal _claim you!_ " Ten continues with mirth. "You walk around this place like you're hot _shit_ because you're Johnny's fucking favorite, but that won't save you now that you belong to some _dog!_ "

Lucas can feel bits of anger seep into his skin; Taeyongs emotions are radiating off him. 

"You're not worthy of being nobility here anymore," Ten spits; joy spreading through his veins as he talks. "That filthy animal of yours and you both, _neither_ of you belong here! It's just a matter of time now, before Johnny ends his pathetic life and you're booted out of the castle like the mongrel you are!"

Lucas feels it before it happens.

The change in the air.

The shift in the space around them.

In an instant Taeyong turns around, eyes white like ice, and he _screeches_ \- a sound like nothing Lucas has ever heard in his life.

A vampire's screech is painful up close - a warning - but the piercing sound that comes out of Taeyong is _hell incarnate_. Lucas doesn't even get time to properly register the pain as it floods his ears; hands immediately flying up to stop the sound from getting into his head.

It all happens in some sort of slow motion from there. Maybe it's because of the pain still circulating in his eardrums, but the world seems foggy as Lucas dives behind Taeyong to escape the noise. When he looks up his eyes go wide as he finds Ten on the ground. His mouth is open in a silent scream - not nearly loud enough to cut through Taeyongs screech. What's more alarming is that the vampire's ears are _bleeding_. Vampire's don't bleed. Lucas almost can't believe it. He glances at his mate and goes cold when he sees the nearly possessed look on Taeyongs face. 

"Taeyong!" He yells; the world speeding back up. "Taeyong, _stop!_ "

But nothing happens. Taeyong doesn't stop and Lucas watches helplessly as Ten writhes on the floor in agony.

This isn't Taeyong.

This isn't _his_ Taeyong.

This is _cruel._

_"Taeyong, please!"_ Lucas nearly sobs; unable to hold back his panic. His arms wind themselves around Taeyongs small waist as he pulls him close against his chest. "Taeyong, _please_ , listen to me. You need to stop; you're going to kill Ten like this! This isn't you! _This isn't like you at all!_ "

" _ **What is going on here!?**_ "

Lucas turns in time to see Taeil and Doyoung rushing towards them. " _Stay back!_ " he yells; watching both elder vampires stop dead in their tracks. Doyoung peers over him though, sees Ten on the ground nearly unconscious, and bolts towards him again without thinking.

" _Doyoung don't!-_ " but Lucas can do nothing to stop the vampire from surging forward in an attempt to save his friend. Doyoung hits the ground in excruciating pain.

" _Lucas!_ " Taeil yells; hand on his own ears. " _You need to stop him!_ "

" _I don't know how!_ " Lucas screams back as he tightens his hold on his mate. He can't even feel their bond right now - none of Taeyongs' emotions are channeling through. The only thing he felt was the anger rising before the vampire had started screeching, now it was just blank. "I don't know how," he repeats sullenly as he ducks his head into Taeyongs nape. _"Please Taeyong_ ," he whimpers; feeling helpless. "I need you to-" and then he sees the mark. Their _mating mark._ Lucas doesn't question anything else as he sinks his teeth in, _hard_.

Taeyong comes crashing back into reality with a sharp yelp; slumping back into the Lycans arms as his body gives out under him. Lucas holds onto his vampire tight; relief flooding his senses as he channels into Taeyongs own confusion and fear instantly.

"Goodness," Taeil sighs as he runs forward to help Doyoung up off the ground. The hallway is so deathly quiet now that it's mildly unsettling. "Are you alright?"

Doyoung looks like he's ready to throw up, but nods just the same. He looks over at Tens unmoving body and pales. "Is he?" he asks; unsure. Taeil shakes his head.

"He's not dead," the elder says; certain. "That screech was like nothing I've ever witnessed it all my years, but it doesn't change the fact that it wasn't a stake to the heart. Ten is just unconscious." He turns his attention to the bonded pair; eyes questioning. "I have many things to ask you, both of you, but first I need to make sure Ten and Doyoung are looked after by a medic."

Taeyong nods; weak. He's still so confused as to what just happened - but he's even more worried for what he's just done to Ten. He looks broken, crumpled up on the floor like that. He tries to stand on his own but his legs won't stabilize under him. Lucas can feel the vampires' frustration at the back of his mind, so he doesn't think twice as he reaches down to scoop Taeyong up in his arms. The vampire protests by swatting at his chest.

"Lycan," Taeil addresses; his own arms busy picking up Ten. "Take Taeyong back to my chambers and make sure he feeds. I will be there momentarily. You will find my residence in the west wing, up the third flight of stairs, second door furthest down the hall to your right."

Lucas nods, "Do you need any help?" he asks. Taeil shakes his head as Doyoung moves to help him. "I think we can handle it from here. Go, make sure Taeyong feeds. He's going to need his strength for the tests."

_Tests?_

"Lucas just move," Taeyong says faintly in his arms. He sounds so small that Lucas feels his heart clench. He nods to the elders before turning away with the vampire in his arms; content at keeping him so close. "What happened?" Taeyong asks; voice raspy. "How did I do that to Ten?"

"I don't know," Lucas shakes his head. "I think it was the bond. I think it's like you teleporting, but this was more powerful. You opened your mouth and the sound it- I've never heard that sound come out of anything before. You lost control. I-" Lucas walks a little slower. "I almost couldn't get you to come back to me."

There's a quiver on his lips at the end of that sentence and Taeyong almost misses it. From his position in the Lycans arms he can hear Lucas' heartbeat. He's too exhausted to feel the rush of wanting to feed on the wonderful organ, so, he listens instead. It's firm - strong - large like the rest of him. Glancing back up at his pet he sees just the opposite on his face. Lucas looks ready to cry.

"You bit me," Taeyong says; hand once again swatting at the Luycans chest. "That's twice now."

"You only need one to bond," Lucas assures him; eyes still slightly glassy. "I just did it because I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't let you kill someone like that."

A silence settles over them, and Taeyong lets himself drift momentarily - comfortable in the Lycans hold. _'I almost couldn't get you to come back to me,'_ He hears echo in his head; drifting with him as he falls into slumber. 

"Thank you," he mumbles as he unconsciously nuzzles closer. "For bringing me back."

Lucas stops walking to gaze at the sleeping vampire in his arms. 

This is Taeyong.

This is _his_ Taeyong.

The one he's been trying to reach. The one Doyoung is trusting him with to bring back safely from the walls he's built up.

There's a love that swells deep in his core, and Lucas lets it take over as he places a feather light kiss to the vampires' forehead. He doesn't sense the dark figure looming - watching - in the distance with a fire in his eyes. There's hatred in the vampires' ugly, dead, heart, but he chooses not to make his presence known. Not now. Not today. No.

So Lucas just keeps walking - being gentle enough not to wake his little vampire. The figure watching them eventually disappears back into the shadows of the castle; his anger unwavering. He decides waiting is his best option for now - if only because his plan has already been put into action. There's no need for rash actions, yet.

+

+

+

+

+

+

Being human isn't something Taeyong likes to remember. Not that his memory can even go back that far anymore without deep sleep, but still. At best, he can recall only the more traumatic events that led to his turning when he really puts his mind to it. 

The orphanage.

The loneliness.

The torment of trying to survive on your own in the dead of winter - those are all locked away until sleep brings them up.

Being human wasn't worth the life everyone wanted him to experience and die for. The orphanage told him he'd be someone one day, as soon as a happy couple could take him home. They sold him the idea of a better life - one he didn't have to fight for - but it was all lies. All of it. Only the cherub children with golden curls and baby blue eyes were selected by adults because that was the thing; they wanted babies, not 10 year-olds plucked from the streets with messy hair. Taeyong stood no chance at adoption from the start. The staff had shown their true colors years later when they'd booted him out the morning of his 19th birthday. _'We can't feed you anymore,'_ they'd said. _'You're not a child, go make your own way now.'_

No one ever adopted him. No one had ever loved him. No one had ever looked out for him like those stupid humans had promised. The world wanted him alone and cold so... he didn't fight it when one night he was sick and half dead in the Paris snow. Begging hadn't been working that week, he hadn't been able to eat in days. After a year of living on the streets, still nothing to show for his existence, he was ready to give up. 

_Nothing mattered anymore_.

If it hadn't been for the warmth that found him that day - his lips blue, hands numb from the winter air - Taeyong would have died a human, aged 20. He would have faded away, remembered by not one soul on this earth - if not for _her._

" _My name is Ruby, young man_ ," she'd said to him; voice gentle. " _I wish you no harm, I am far too old to do so. Please, I have a spare room and hot food. You do not belong out here._ "

Ruby.

He hadn't thought about her in centuries.

The sweet little old woman who kept him alive like the mother he never had. The innocent soul who taught him to love the world for all the good and the bad - even when she was always about to lose her home. For five years, she was the one who gave him reason to wake up in the morning; if only to help her with her chickens when her hands hurt too much.

" _Taeyong._ "

For five years he was the perfect son to her - and made sure to work extra hard so she didn't have to struggle.

" _Taeyong, wake up._ "

For five years he believed he could be happy after all. That he'd found a home. _She_ was his _home_.

" _Taeyong, wake up!_ "

For five years he lived in a dream that was torn away the morning they found her ripped up in an alleyway without a heart.

" _ **Taeyong,** **wake up!** "_

" _Fuck!_ " he yells as he shoots forward; arms frantically grabbing at the body in front of him. Lucas looks equally as startled as Taeyong feels. "What- What's going-"

"I think you were having a nightmare," Lucas says; worry in his eyes. He grabs the vampires' hands in an attempt to calm him down and notes how Taeyong doesn't push him away. "You started mumbling in your sleep. I tried to wake you a couple times but you didn't wake up until I yelled at you."

"Where are-"

"We're in Taeil's room," Lucas answers quickly. "He'll be here soon. I saw the text he sent you," he pulls out Taeyongs phone from his pocket and hands it back to him. "It fell out of your pocket when I laid you down on the bed. He says Ten is resting now - the blood from before that came out of his ears was because he'd just fed. Doyoung is keeping an eye on him."

Taeyong nods; a hand coming up to clutch his aching head. He rarely dreams since he doesn't need sleep - but of course the one time he _does_ dream it's about his human life. _This is just too fucking perfect today,_ he grumbles internally. _I'm never sleeping again, I swear._

Lucas looks on curiously as his mate tries to alleviate his headache; fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "What were you dreaming about?" he asks. Taeyong tries, really, but he can't keep the edge out of his voice as he responds with a curt: _Nothing._ He's not about to go down memory lane again. The quicker his past leaves his system, the better.

"Taeyong," Lucas tries again. "I know I'm not your mate, yet, at least not to _you_ , but the bond is proving its stronger than we both know."

The purple haired vampire glances up at that. Lucas looks very serious right now; the sight somehow making his head hurt worse if he's being honest. 

"Pushing me away is only going to make the bond weaker, and I don't want to be put in a position where I can't stop you if your- I don't know... _powers_ decide to take over again," The Lycan finishes. It's only then that Taeyong realizes they're holding hands. He sighs. 

"Vampires don't have dreams, puppy," he lies easily. "I was probably trying to wake up because of this godforsaken headache." 

His Lycan doesn't seem even slightly convinced and Taeyong has to wonder if Lucas can tell when he's fibbing now, too. He'd lied about the ability to Taeil before, but for all he knows it could be true. Everything was starting to feel possible now. Luckily, when he groans to show he really can't stand his head any more, Lucas drops the subject.

"You need to feed," the Lycan urges; pulling Taeyong forward so he has easier access to his neck. "Taeil said something about tests earlier. He said you need to feed to get through them."

"That's right," Taeyong nods; slipping his hand out of his Lycans hold to place it on his skin instead. He hadn't notice before - but now he can see that Lucas left several buttons of his shirt undone. His collarbones are on proper display and - well, Taeyong's not _blind_. It looks good on him. Lucas is entirely attractive on his own - but with the way he's wearing his clothes right now.. Taeyong noses along the curve of the Lycans adams apple and inhales. _His blood smells so good_ , he thinks. 

Lucas takes a deep breath; his body responding to their proximity. Unlike before - when he was half asleep - this time he's ready for his instincts when they start coming to life. It still doesn't make it any easier, though.

"Taeil wants to test our bond," Taeyong explains as he nips at the skin. "He wants to know what it can do - how it can help us. It's part of the reason you were spared." He noses along a particular vein he's mapped before and stops his movements. 

"Taeyong," Lucas gasps out; suddenly breathless as the vampire licks a stripe up his neck. "Y-You need to hurry, we're too close and my rut- I can't-" He's cut off as teeth sink into him. The venom dulls the pain quickly and Lucas hums as Taeyong clings to him. Having his mate so close feels amazing; every inch of him is pressed up against Lucas.

_I don't know how much longer I can hold back,_ Lucas thinks as he feels warmth pool in his stomach. He tries to keep his hands to himself to quell his alpha; but gives in when Taeyong moans - unable to shut up his burning need. Hands roam every inch of the vampires' lithe form from there, and Lucas smiles at the way his mate responds to his touches.

_Fuck_ , he screams in his head; frantic. _I can't do this, not right now_. _We can't do this right now!_ He's about to pull the vampire back, desperate to get away, when Taeyong lets go. The atmosphere around them is charged as the vampire stares; eyes darting back and forth to Lucas's lips. The expression on the vampires' face is calm, collected, almost serine in a way. Taeyong has never stared at him like this before - never held his gaze in his way before. It's in these clear seconds that Lucas manages to channel into what his mate is feeling and his eyes go wide.

"Tae... You-" That's all he manages to say before Taeyongs lips are on his; softly pushing him back against the mattress. They've shared so many kisses before this - so many heated moments with it - but the pull Lucas feels as Taeyongs lips move against his own is indescribable.

He wants to drown, the warmth, the sense of belonging, whatever it is - Taeyong wants to drown in it. It's not lust he feels, and it's definitely not hunger either. Something lingers in the middle of their kiss and Taeyong wants to stay there with it because he's never felt this before. When Lucas wraps his arms around him - locking him in place - he feels secure. Taeyong does the best he can to wrap his own arms around him; tangling them up any way he can to keep them both where they are.

The knock at the door has them bolting away from each other; startled back into the reality of their situation. Taeyong lands unceremoniously on the floor as Lucas scrambles to sit up and compose himself. Taeil walks in milliseconds later; brow arched up in confusion.

"Taeyong?"

"I fell," he supplies quickly; getting up and dusting himself off. "I was feeding and I fell off the bed. I'm fine."

"Uh," Taeil looks between them both; noting that Lucas has a feverish blush on his face. "Lycan are you feeling ill?"

Lucas quickly nods his head 'no' and rubs at his face; messing up his hair a bit in the processes. "No, I just-"

"I may have fed a little too much just now," Taeyong interrupts; walking over and adjusting Lucas's hair for him. Lucas tries to keep his cool (what's left of it right now) as he stares at his mate in disbelief. When he sees the stoic look on the vampires' face, he deflates. The mask is back up. "What I did to Ten took a lot out of me. I started feeding and did so until I was full. My apologies my pet, I will make sure you're properly fed yourself before I attempt to take any more blood."

The Lycan nods; a frown forming as he tries to sense if Taeyongs emotions are as scattered as his are. Of course - he finds nothing. He's shut out again.

"I believe you have some tests you would like us to go through?" Taeyong asks; one hand still on Lucas's head.

"Yes," Taeil confirms; arms crossed as he steps over to his large bookcase. He looks like he's got something else he wants to say but decides not to. Taeyong watches as his elder reaches for the latter needed to access the higher shelves; slightly amused as Taeil climbs all the up to the top to pluck a large black book. It looks old and very heavy - but Taeyong can tell it's important by the gold lining on its spine.

" _This_ ," The elder says as he places the hardcover on the table in the middle of his room. "This is the only surviving record of Lycans and vampires doing exactly what you two have done."

Taeyong pales. Lucas goes wide eyed as he approaches the table; finding a soft chair to pull up for himself to sit. He glances at his vampire, but Taeyong makes no motion to find a chair himself - opting to stand as his mouth forms a thin line.

"This has happened before?" Lucas asks. Taeil nods.

"It has happened twice in our history," the elder explains as he too finds a seat. "The stories have been kept secret from most, thus the reason only this record exists."

"It's so much," Taeyong whispers. "This is only for two documented cases?"

Taeil nods; opening up the massive text and searching for a specific page. "We are a proud kind, Taeyong, you must know. In this book we have not just the stories to the last detail, but also written witness accounts. Anything and everything regarding these cases was added to these old pages for posterity. We like to bury well what we do not wish to share, but we make sure to document it all to prevent mistakes in the future."

' _To prevent mistakes,_ ' rings loud and clear in his ears. The ugly feeling of letting Taeil down seeps back into Taeyong as he looks down ashamed. He tries to focus as the elder turns the pages but he can't help but get stuck on the word ' _mistake_ '. 

"I'm the mistake," Lucas says firmly; both vampires snapping their heads up to look at him. " _Not_ Taeyong. I'm the one who gave him the mark - it's just me that's the mistake in all this."

Taeyong blinks once, twice. "Lucas, you-"

"You may have bitten him, Lycan," Taeil says evenly. "But from what I know, Taeyong asked for it. You both have equal blame."

Lucas glances up at his mate. He guesses that must be the lie Taeyong fed to them in their meeting, but Lucas knows the truth. Only _he_ is to blame. He's the one who claimed a vampire without consent because he couldn't tame his damn alpha. _He's_ the one who should be held accountable for this mess, _not_ his mate.

"At any rate," Taeil sighs. "What's done is done. Taeyong wears your claim on his neck. He is now the third case in our history, and that makes you, Lucas, the first Lycan to survive such a crime. The two before you were killed."

Lucas swallows hard. For him to be alive now is beyond a miracle - so whatever else Taeyong said to them must really be important to his survival. He wants to beat himself over the head for not controlling the situation better earlier. If he had, maybe Taeyong would have been able to fill him in on all that was said in the meeting instead of-... The memory of their emotional kiss comes rushing back and his face warms up. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Taeyong looking at him questioningly.

_I know what I felt,_ Lucas thinks. _Those emotions weren't just mine, Taeyong._

"Long ago," Taeil tells them as he reads from the ancient book. "A vampire named Aeris fell in love with a Lycan named James. They were young, Aeris had been only eighteen when she was turned, and naïve," He sighs as he recalls the past. "Aeris believed that her kind would understand her loyal love for the Lycan, and didn't think twice when James wanted to claim her as his mate. She came back to the castle one night with the mark and the elders... " Taeil stops to look at them both. "The elders were not forgiving."

He can still hear the screams of his dear friend as she was dragged through the castle that night. "The elders sent out vampires to retrieve James - telling him that if did not come to the castle they would put Aeris to death."

"It was a trap," Taeyong whispers. "Wasn't it?"

Taeil nods sadly. "It was. I think he knew, but that did nothing to stop him from coming to the gates looking for her. They made her watch, you know. When they killed him - they made Aeris watch from her bound position on the floor."

"That's terrible," Lucas says. "Why would they do such a thing?"

"Much like your kind does not see the good in mating with the same sex," Taeil says bitterly. "Our kind does not see the good in our species mixing." 

Those words form a lump in Lucas's throat. If Taeyong can feel how sad that makes him, he doesn't show it. "They killed James because he was in love with a vampire," Lucas chokes out; unable to hold back the wilt in his voice. "They really didn't care that Aeris loved him back?"

The elder shakes his head sadly. "The elders at that time, may they rest well, were very strict in their ways. Aeris was a direct noble, she had been turned by the highest elder at the time. He was the one who ordered the killing, and he was the one who banished her."

"Banished her?" Taeyong asks. Taeil nods his head slowly as he turns the pages of the book again. 

"It has been so long, she may very well no longer be walking this earth," the elder sighs. "Aeris was a good friend of mine. She sealed her fate the day she fell in love with James, but she was the happiest with him. When he was killed, she- well she died with him too that day. They banished her immediately after the execution, never to be seen by vampires again."

It's silent in the room for the next few seconds. Taeyong can see the memories flash across the elders face as he sits and recalls the fate of his friend. It must have been hard - to let go of someone like that. Clearly the change in Taeils demeanor meant that Aeris was to him what Doyoung is to Taeyong. A sibling. A family member. With careful eyes Taeyong looks over at Lucas to find the Lycan already looking at him. 

"The second case was far more horrific," Taeil finally says; eyes still slightly glassy. Taeyong tears his gaze away from Lucas to focus on the elder. "This happened just ten years before you were turned."

"That recent?"

Lucas scoffs. Both vampires look at him questioningly; amused when the Lycan shrugs his shoulders like they should already get what he means.

"You're like a _thousand_ years old," Lucas grins at his mate; enjoying the way his jaw drops. "I don't think that really qualifies as recent."

Taeil doesn't even try to hold back his laughter as Taeyong crosses his arms with a huff."I'll have you know, pet," the purple haired vampire says hotly. "That I am only _three-hundred and twenty-seven years old_. For vampires that is _very_ young."

Lucas keeps grinning as Taeil finally stops laughing enough to speak. "Is your Lycan always this charming?" The elder chuckles. Taeyong groans, _embarrassed,_ of all things, as he sits down. "Unfortunately," he hisses; looking pointedly at his pet. "But back to the matter at hand. The second case?"

Clearing his throat, Taeil continues. "Right - Well, the second case was not done with consent and the entire ordeal was very troublesome." He opens the book to a specific page and points at the text as he reads. "' _Noble vampire elder: Irene'_ \- does the name sound familiar?"

It does, but Taeyong can't recall where he's seen that name before. On a wall? A painting, maybe?

"I saw that name on a painting in the grand hall," Lucas says; focus on the book. "The name next to it too; _Yixing_."

"Very good," Taeil nods. He looks over at Taeyong expectantly. "Do you recall Yixings' name at all, Taeyong?"

Taeyong shakes his head; trying hard to think back. His mind draws blanks though, and he finally gives up. "In all honestly, I don't-" Then it hits him. A small painting in Kuns room that he'd seen before; one that had a young couple in it. "Wait. That's... Is that not Kuns blood master?"

"He was," Taeil nods with a sad smile. "he was also somewhat like an older brother to Kun. Irene was his wife. Their portraits hang in our main hall with all the other elders who have passed. Their deaths occurred because of a rogue Lycan who'd become obsessed with Irene. She knew he'd been stalking her, but refused to worry any of us - especially Yixing. One night, while out on a mission, the Lycan cornered her and bit her. When Yixing found out he set out to kill the creature, but he was ambushed."

"I thought the Lycan was rogue?" Taeyong asks.

"He was," his elder confirms. "But back then we were not on good terms with Lycans over some land to the east, and the rogue managed to convince a few spiteful Lycan to help Kill Yixing."

"This is part of our history too," Lucas murmurs. "I've heard stories about this exact ambush since I was little. Our leaders use it to teach us the consequences of leaving the pack. In every one it describes Yixing as nearly invincible. He killed three Lycans on his own that night."

At that, Taeil grins fondly. "I'm glad that even your kind can acknowledge how great he was. Yixing was a wonderful elder, and he loved Irene very much. Almost as much as she loved him."

"She went after him," Taeyong states; understanding the outcome clearly. "She went to stop him, save him, and she died too, right?"

Taeil simply gets up; shutting the book and walking back to the bookcase. Taeyong and Lucas both watch in silence as the vampire elder climbs the latter to put away the giant text. "When they died that night," he says over his shoulder; still on the latter. "Kun was inconsolable. A lot of us were. Yixing and Irene were vital to this castle. It has been my mission since to ensure its survival - as I was the one who took charge after they died." They watch as Taeil jumps down from the latter with ease; a seriousness about him now.

"You two stand here today as the fine line between a balance that I cannot afford to lose," he says. "Especially not now that we've encountered hybrids for the first time in history."

Taeyong stands and bows. "Which is why we are here," he says; motioning for Lucas to stand and do the same. "This bond was only ever for the progression of our kind - _nothing more_."

Lucas doesn't like the sound of that, but bows regardless.

"It had better be," Taeil warns. Taeyong frowns; looking up. The look in his elders' eyes is anything but kind.

"Because I hope I do not have to explain to you the severity in which you find yourself in." The elder takes a step forward, and Taeyong has to fight the urge to step back. "This bond you have with Lucas _cannot_ be anything more than a weapon we use. As of this moment I have seen enough to understand that you two are close - far _closer_ than I originally believed."

_Fuck_ , Taeyong screams internally; trying to remain unaffected on the surface. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

"I can _smell_ him on you, Taeyong," Taeil observes; watching as Lucas unconsciously takes a step towards them. "You two are at least sleeping together, and while sexual pleasure is not a crime, I know your taste in blood type has always been _different._ So, I still need to ask... "

Lucas stills - waiting for the inevitable question and his mates' answer.

"Do you feel _anything_ for Lucas?- and do not lie to me."

He can feel both sets of eyes boring into him - waiting. Taeyong doesn't appreciate the sudden accusation in the form of a question. It leaves ice in his veins, and he didn't endure the last three-hundred plus years to be asked such a stupid question anyway.

He's not human.

He's not weak.

He will _never_ be weak. Not again.

His eyes narrow as he smirks; arms lazily crossing over his chest. "If you're asking me if I have fallen in love with a Lycan, Taeil, the answer is _no_ \- I do not feel anything for my pet." Taeyong walks over to Lucas; ignoring the way he questioningly gazes at him. He places a gentle hand on his still exposed collarbones - playing with the skin lightly - before quickly scratching his neck with a fingernail. It stings, especially since Lucas wasn't ready for it, and it bleeds. Taeyong wastes no time in collecting the liquid onto his fingers; a hum on his lips as he brings the digits close to lick them clean.

"This," Teayong points to Lucas. "Is nothing more than my play thing. A source for easy food. He's fun to fuck when I'm in the mood to feed, but he's good for nothing else. How can you ask me if I _love_ him?"

Finishing his words Taeyong feels a pang spreads through his chest. The ache goes away quickly, but for a split second it's hard to think straight. He looks to Lucas, wondering if maybe those are his feelings he's experiencing, only to see him turn away. Taeil raises a brow at them both but relaxes a bit.

"See that it stays that way," he orders. "Now, it's time to begin the tests."

Teail takes out his phone; quickly finding the contact he needs to call. He presses the information and waits all of two seconds for the other end to pick up. "Hello, Xiaojun?" he chirps happily. "Yes, go ahead and bring it in."

Seeing that the elder is preoccupied on the phone; Taeyong turns around to face Lucas quickly. He stands close so only the Lycan can hear him as he speaks. "I'm sure you guessed it already," He whispers out. "But I told Taeil and the others that it was my decision to be claimed. I also lied and told them you found scents indicating trouble from the Lycans - which, we can now confirm were hybrids. There's also the- _hey._ Are you listening to me?"

Lucas nods; refusing to look at Taeyong.

"I don't think you're listening to me, puppy," The purple haired vampire tries to whisper sweetly. It still doesn't make Lucas look at him though. Taeyong frowns. "Lucas, look at me."

"What else did you tell them, _sir?_ "

That throws the vampire off; his frown increasing. 

"Since when do you call me, ' _sir_ '?"

Lucas finally faces him - his hardened expression making Taeyongs' stomach sink a little. His pet has never - not once since arriving to the Castle of Elites - looked at him like _that._ "I'm just doing what Taeil said," The Lycan replies; little to no light in his eyes. " …and what you want. I'm just a pet, a _play thing_ , I shouldn't be using your name when addressing you."

They're harsh words, and Taeyong can't fathom how Lucas (who has not stopped insisting they could be happy mates) could just shut down this way. It's not like him.

"Don't you think you're being a little too drama-"

A knock at the door interrupts them. Taeil walks over and answers it as Taeyong steps away from Lucas. He glares at his Lycan; hoping the stare conveys that their conversation is far from over.

"Xiaojun," Taeil greets; motioning to the middle of the room. "Please, roll it in. You can place the trunk over here next to the fireplace."

They watch as the tiny vampire rolls in a cart. On it, there's a massive curtain that almost doesn't make it through the door frame. Taeyong looks on skeptically as Xiaojun quickly puts the curtain into place and extends the sides so it becomes a sort of divider. When the little blonde vampire starts struggling to move the clearly heavy trunk, Taeyong speaks up.

"What is all this?"

"This," Taeil boasts as he waves his hands. "Is how we will be testing your bond today."

Taeyong counts to three; but still feels something ugly coil in his stomach.

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When he'd been turned, Ten was sure his life was supposed to end. It made the most sense. He'd just broken his leg and torn his Achilles in a stupid car accident - one that wasn't even his fault. A surgery was going to be needed to even give him hope of walking again. Having grown up a dancer with a promising future, it was earth shattering to be told he could never return to the stage. When the dance company told him they would be letting him go as a result, Ten had wanted to end it. All of it.

Poetic in a way - how he'd chosen to go. At least, that's how he viewed it. Dancing in his sleep as pills pulled him slowly into oblivion. With no real friends, and no family, it would be weeks before anyone would notice he was gone. Yeah. Just slip away - into the backdrop. He could do that. Pull the curtain closed, no need to bow to an audience that wasn't even paying attention unless he was dancing The Nutcracker. 

He remembers feeling his heart give one last lurch before he was sure death had found him. The air that was in his lungs had rushed out as his chest settled for the last time. It was nice, in a way. Sure, it was painful as his senses numbed, but succumbing to the darkness was nicer than he'd thought. He'd been completely blindsided when pain exploded behind his eyes - a fire starting from there that ravaged his body.

It had been horrifying; being ripped away from deaths everlasting grip. The way the pain had encased his entire being was something so frightening - Ten's not sure to this day if he'll ever forget it. The bite of the undead was as close to hell as he'd ever wanted to get.

"You can't die," a soothing had told him after the fire within had calmed down; leaving behind ice in its wake. "Not yet. You still have a purpose to fulfill. I need you here - with me."

Simple. It was simple. A reason to continue. That was what he'd been given when Johnny Suh turned him; a reason. A good one too, because the next thing Ten knew - he could walk. 

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"He's waking up," Doyoung announces to the room as he watches Tens eyes open. Since arriving he hadn't left the smaller vampires side; guilt keeping him there as he'd been unable to help him earlier. "How are you feeling?"

The petite vampire looks confused.

"I said," Doyoung tries again. "How are you feeling? Ten?"

Nothing.

The raven haired elder looks around the room; finding Johnny already staring at his blooding in disbelief. Kun and Renjun (along with two medical staff) exchange worried glances. Doyoung turns back to Ten and sees his face fall into one of panic. 

"Ten, if you understand what I'm saying, now would be a good time to tell me," Doyoung begs one last time; waving a hand in front of the vampires face for good measure. When Tens demeanor sinks further everyone in the room stills.

"He can't hear me," it's a statement. "Ten _can't hear me_."

The world sort of stops spinning as Ten puts together what everyone around him must be saying; a silent confirmation since all he has to go by is the shock on their faces. He bunches up the covers in his hands as he screams. Only, he can't hear it. He can feel the scream in his throat - knows it's resonating in his head - but he doesn't _hear_ it. He screams even louder.

Everyone in the room jumps. Johnny rushes forward to place a hand on his bloodlings mouth to stop the hysteria coming out. Doyoung springs into action to hold Ten down as best as he can, and Renjun joins him when the vampire starts kicking.

"He really can't hear anything," Kun says; astonished as he motions one of the medical staff over. "Is that even possible? He should have healed by now, why hasn't he?"

The medic - a small vampire by the name of Baekhyun - shakes his head. "I don't know what he came into contact with, but whatever it was is dangerous," he says gravely. "Ten was given enough blood to keep him fed for a week in an attempt to get his body to regenerate, and it did nothing. The damage to his ears remains. There is no way to know if he'll ever regain his hearing."

Ten continues to trash on the bed as tears stream down his face. 

"Taeyongs' screech really did that?" Kun mutters; unable to wrap his head around everything. "Gods, is the Lycans bite that powerful?" He misses the look of anger that flashes across Johnny face as he lets go of his bloodling. Ten's still crying, but the screaming has stopped. Doyoung and Renjun keep their hold on him, regardless.

"Hand me that piece of paper, and that pen," Johnny demands; causing the doctor to frown. "Now."

Baekhyun does as he's told; rolling his eyes in the process. The elder glares at him before taking the items and writing something down.

"What are you doing?"

Johnny turns to Kun; showing him the note. "We can't have a guard who can't hear. That would be pointless," he scoffs. 

Kun watches in disbelief as Johnny turns around and shoves the paper into Tens shaky hands. Ten stops crying long enough to read the note. Doyoung arches a brow as he watches Johnny leave the room swiftly after; his own attention going back when Renjun lets out a gasp. Ten is crying again, but its controlled to choked sobs this time. Doyoung glances at the note, now lying in the vampires' lap, and can hardly believe his eyes.

' _I have no use for you now,_ ' it reads. ' _Your purpose to me is done. I will withdraw you from the guardship and you will begin tending to the fields once the medic is done with you. I don't have time to babysit broken bloodlings, so don't make me repeat this._ '

It's a level of cruelty that Doyoung didn't know Johnny was capable of as he watches Ten slump forward; his entire body wracked with heartache. Renjun looks up at him, then to Kun, then back to him again.

"This isn't right," The new vampire whimpers. "He can't do this... can he?"

"Unfortunately," Doyoung sighs; hand reaching out sooth the crying vampire. "With his status, and being that he's Tens blood master, he can. Kun-" he turns to the smaller elder. "Can you please text Jaehyun that I'll be bringing Ten to him in the next few hours?"

The blue haired elder nods as he takes out his phone. "What are you thinking?" he asks.

"I think," Doyoung contemplates. "that Johnny said Ten would now work in the field, but he didn't say in what way."

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"So," Taeyong hums skeptically; careful eyes on Taeil as he straps Lucas into a chair. "Enlighten me, because this seems more like a kink than a test." He watches as the elder tightens the thick leather straps around his pets' wrists; finding that he doesn't like the set up as Lucas visibly flinches.

"The point of this first set of tests is to see what triggers your ability to teleport, and what Lucas can channel to you without seeing you," Taeil explains as he secures yet _another_ strap around the Lycans upper torso. "You-" he points to Taeyong. "-will be standing on the other side of this curtain so you won't be able to see Lucas."

Taeyong glances at the large fabric wall now in the middle of the sitting area. He honestly didn't think it would even fit, but Taeils room is, evidently, much bigger than Taeyong originally thought.

"Okay... " The purple haired vampire says slowly. "And my pet?"

Taeil smiles as he fastens the last strap to the chair. "The Lycan will stay on this side of the curtain with me."

The uneasy feeling from before curls back into Taeyongs stomach as Taeil motions him to step away. He can see the little sliver of fear in Lucas's eyes - can _feel_ the Lycans nerves on edge - and it makes his stomach churn even more.

"Why the restraints?" Taeyong challenges; unmoving to the other side of the curtain. "You don't still think Lucas is capable of attacking, do you?"

With a sigh Taeil walks up to Taeyong and places a hand on his shoulder. "I need you to trust your elder," he explains evenly. "I am not going to kill your pet, if that is what you're thinking." His eyes are serious, and they don't waver as he speaks. Taeyong's not completely satisfied, but he makes his way to the opposite side of the curtain regardless. Taeil motions for Xiaojun (who's been silently awaiting further instructions from the corner of the room) to secure any blind spots. Taeyong watches as the little blonde vampire scurries around - covering up any way for him to see Lucas.

"Taeyong can you hear me?" comes Taeils' voice from beyond the veil. The cloth's not thick so the sound is crystal clear.

"Perfectly," Taeyong confirms; biting his bottom lip. _I **really** don't think I'm going to like this;_ he thinks to himself. He can take his elders' word for what it is - but the image of his pet bound to the chair keeps making his brows furrow. 

Lucas can't help the way his senses go on high alert as he watches the elder next to him pull a gag out of his pocket.

_Oh, come on!_ Lucas thinks; biting down the growl that comes up as Taeil stands in front of him. He realizes he must be shaking just enough for it to be noticeable, because the elder holds a finger up to his lips - silently telling Lucas to keep quiet as the blocks his ability to speak.

"Bite down if you must," Taeil whispers so only Lucas can hear him. "Understand that this is not to hurt you. It does, however, need to be done. So, please, do not make any sounds."

He can't nod his head or give confirmation that he understands, but Lucas hopes his eyes say enough.

_This is insane._

Taeil finally walks away; going to busy himself with the trunk at Xiaojuns feet. It's old, rickety, unlike the rest of the elders' ( _surprisingly_ ) modern looking room. There's a fine layer of dust on it, indicating its rare use. Unfortunately, Lucas doesn't know it that's a good sign or a bad sign. He watches as Taeil dusts the trunk off, opening it with care, before digging through it soon after. The elder shifts the contents around quickly as half his body disappears. Lucas wishes he could laugh as he watches the elder nearly fall in completely - feet literally leaving the ground. 

"Xiaojun," Taeil grumbles; hand shooting up from the trunk. "Help me up." The little blonde vampire hurries over and helps the elder up and out. If he wants to giggle and has to hold a hand over his mouth to keep it in - that's his business. "Thank you," Taeil says; adjusting his sweater. He closes the lid to the trunk and, with a small push pin in hand, he returns to the Lycan.

"Okay," He calls over to the other side. "I will now begin the test. Taeyong, your job in this is simply to take note of what you feel from Lucas, and how your body responds. Please pay close attention to all details, as I will need to know exactly what happens to you internally right before you teleport. If you _do_ happen to teleport, at any time, that is fine. If you do not, that is also fine."

He's glad there's a curtain separating them, because Taeyong doesn't think he's ever rolled his eyes harder. " _Okay,_ " he sighs dramatically; eyeing the bed behind him. ' _There's no rules against lying down, right?_ ' he smirks internally as he does just that. 

Maybe it's because he's used to the idea of being treated like dirt right off the bat, but Lucas can't keep the surprise off his face as Taeil does little more than prick his arm lightly with the pin. As gruesome as it may sound, he'd sort of expected the elder to jab the little thing into his eye - _or something!_ Even Xiaojun looks confused as he watches his elder basically tickle Lucas with the push-pin. 

"Hmm," Taeil hums to himself. "As expected, okay." He moves the pin up to the Lycans neck; lightly touching the skin there. When no reaction comes from Lucas - or Taeyong - Taeil wonders if he should kick it up just a notch.

"How are you feeling, Taeyong?" The elder asks.

Taeyong - now comfortably lying on Taeils' bed with his hands behind his head - smiles. "Oh," he chuckles. "I feel fine. Great - even. Actually, I wanted to know if this mattress is from the last decade? It's very comfortable." The laugh that comes from beyond the curtain must be from Xiaojun, because Taeyong is sure his elder is rolling his eyes.

Taeil glares mildly at the little blond vampire behind him before responding. "Taeyong, I do _hope_ you are taking this seriously," the elder warns.

"I am," Taeyong assures; shoes coming off and landing on the floor. "Please, continue what ever it is you're doing."

"We will not get far at this rate," Taeil sighs as he eyes the push-pin in his hands. Lucas just stares up at the elder - waiting. There's a long pause before Taeil makes up his mind with a deep exhale. "This may pinch," he says somberly as he pushes the pin deep into Lucas' skin.

Lucas jumps despite the warning; unsure how far the elder vampire is willing to push the pin into his neck. He can feel a small amount of liquid pool around the wound as Taeil stops applying pressure. A single drop of blood glides down the side of his neck to the collar of his shirt.

Taeyongs eyes are dark as they fly open - his body upright in seconds. "Taeil?" He questions; voice rough as he stands. "Is that my _Lycans' blood_ I'm smelling?"

"That depends," The elder smile; taking the pin out and motioning Xiaojun to pass him a cleaning cloth. "Do you feel any different, like you may teleport?"

A hiss from the other side of the curtain makes Taeil and Lucas both look up. Xiaojun hands his elder the cloth before darting behind Lucas - trying to get as far away from the curtain as possible.

"That's my food supply you're messing with," Taeyong grits out. He can feel his body burning, the need to rip the curtain away rising, but wills his anger down. He can't get this worked up over blood - not _yet_. He breathes deeply through his nose and relaxes his frame. 

"What did you feel, Taeyong?"

Taeil sounds calm and collected - analytical, if anything - when he asks, so Taeyong keeps his voice even as he responds. "Hot," he says simply. "I just felt hot all over, and my eyes changed. I got angry."

"Interesting," The elder mutters as he walks back over to the trunk. Xiaojun is still rooted to his spot behind Lucas. 

"Are you cutting him up over there?" Taeyong asks now that his anger is gone. He doesn't feel panic or fear from Lucas at all, so he hopes that's not what's happening, but he can't be too sure.

"Your job is to trust me and to focus," Taeil answers robotically; too busy once again with the contents of the trunk. "What I do with Lucas right now is not your focus. Feeling what he feels, is."

Taeyong frowns.

"I don't feel anything right now," he snaps. Lucas tries to picture his little pissed off purple haired vampire through the fabric separating them. 

"That's not my problem," Taeil shoots back as he comes back to Lucas with a small knife. "As I said," he continues. "If you do not teleport, that is fine. However, I will continue my test as I see fit. The point is to collect data on this bond."

Lucas watches as the elder vampire raises the knife to his arm and lines it up to cut. His heartbeat picks up as he braces himself; being sliced into second later. It hurts. It hurts a lot. 

_'Fuck you!_ ' Lucas screams in his head. He tries to breathe the pain out; refusing to groan or make any noise that could alarm Taeyong. He knows though - that the bond has probably already started letting his mate feel what he feels.

" _Fuck!_ "

Taeil whips his head over to the curtain.

"Taeyong?"

" _Did you just cut him again?_ " 

Xiaojun cowers behind Lucas as he tries to hurriedly wipe away the blood dripping down the side of the Lycans' arm. Taeil sends the small vampire a reassuring nod before turning back to face the curtain wall. "I am not sure I know what you are talking about," he says innocently; wiping off the knife in his hands. "But I am curious, how do you feel now?"

" _Fuck,_ " Taeyong growls; eyes switching back and forth as his senses go on high alert. "I can _smell_ the blood Taeil. I _know_ you're cutting him up and I can't even _begin_ to tell you how not okay I am with that."

"I'm sorry my child but I really do not know what you are talking about," The elder replies with a sigh as he puts the knife away.

" _Bull shit!_ " Taeyong roars; his hands balled up into fists. On the opposite side, Lucas feels his heart leap. "I can _feel_ his emotions - he's on edge. You're torturing my pet right now."

"So you _are_ feeling something new," Taeil hums. "Interesting."

Taeyong groans in frustration as he once again wills his anger to slow down. It's not easy though, when all he can sense is that ball of anxiety strapped to a chair on the other side of the barrier. His mind is racing - not just with his own thoughts - but also with little snippets of Lucas.

"Remember," The elder reminds as he find another trinket from the trunk. "Keep focusing on what you feel. If you teleport I need to know what you felt."

Lucas can still feel the burn from the gash in his arm and he desperately wants to lick at it. His saliva as a Lycan has always settled wounds quickly in terms of pain. If he could shift, he would stop the burning easily to keep Taeyong from getting riled up. But that's not the point of these ' _tests_ ' - no. The point is to make him suffer just enough to trigger Taeyongs ability to teleport, it's not hard to figure out. 

' _I always end up as a guinee pig,_ ' Lucas thinks bitterly as he watches Taeil come back with tongs. His eyes go wide as he nervously follows the elders movements to the fireplace where he picks up a piece of coal. Once again - it doesn't take a genius to figure out where that burning piece of coal is going.

' _To trigger Taeyongs' power, Taeil has to basically kill me_ ,' Lucas realizes; breathing hard as the elder gets closer to him. _'Just like how Ten did the other day, but... he doesn't know that yet, so these tests are just going to keep getting worse until he figures it out!_ '

Taeil stops right in front of the Lycan and takes in the nervousness radiating off him; his body twitching as he tries to hide it. There's a fire in his eyes that makes Taeil falter.

"Please," the elder whispers; tearing Lucas's black slacks right at the thigh to expose the skin there. "I really do not mean you harm, but it has to be done. This will hurt - a lot." That's all he says before he's pressing the piping hot clump of coal against bare skin. 

Lucas immediately strains against his straps as he tries to get away from the awful sensation. His eyes burn with tears and his jaw clenches tight around the gag as he fights to keep from screaming.

Xiaojun gasps; curling into himself as he watches Lucas shed tears. Taeil holds out as long as he can, but eventually the smell of burnt flesh gets to him and he pulls back. Lucas slumps back into his seat - numb. The choked sobs he's crying now get caught against the gag in his mouth. He looks broken in the chair and Taeil can't blame him - it takes a lot to keep quiet through something like that.

"Taeyong," The elder calls out over his shoulder. "How are you doing over there?"

Nothing.

Lucas looks up at that; breathing heavily. The pain in his thigh travels all the way down his leg and back up again.

"Taeyong?"

It's quiet safe for Lucas's breathing and that causes Taeil to worry. "Go check on him," he urges Xiaojun. Lucas watches helplessly as the little blonde vampire scurries away behind the curtain. He searches his mind for any stray feelings projecting off his mate but finds none.

Xiaojun quickly rounds the corner and stops - the amount of pressure beyond the curtain weighing him down instantly. He glances around and sees Taeyong standing right up against the fabric, unmoving.

"Taeyong?" He tries; unable to step any closer. "Taeyong, are you okay? What do you feel?"

A growl - loud enough for the entire room to hear - comes out. Taeyong turns his head slowly to face Xiaojun, and when he does, the blond feels his entire body grow cold. Taeyongs eyes are white - completely void of anything. His face is contorted and his fans are on full display. 

"H-He... He's..." Xiaojun stutters out; terrified. "His eyes- they're white. He's not-"

"Shit," Taeil curses as he walks over to Lucas and forcefully removes the gag. Lucas groans but flexes his jaw to shake out the soreness.

"Tell him to calm down," The elder instructs. "He is reverting to whatever state he was in earlier when he attacked Ten. Say something to him before he screeches again."

"Shit!" Lucas yells: throat incredibly dry. "Taeyong? Taeyong I'm fine! You need to calm down! You need to listen to me right now and calm down!"

Xiaojun ducks back to look at the purple haired vampire feels the pressure drop. "I think it's working!" He yells.

Lucas feels like complete shit. Everything hurts. He's tired now from the pain, and would love to pass out, but still relief floods his system when Xiaojun tells them it's working. The image of Taeyongs horrific change from earlier flashes through his mind. Lucas knows he can't let his mate slip back into that space. " _Please_ ," he yells. "I promise I'm fine." The giant gash in his arm, burnt flesh on this thigh, and little hole in his neck say otherwise - but he can't let Taeyong know that. "You need to calm down... find you way back. Find your way back to me." 

Lucas can feel the sharp look that Taeil gives him then, but ignores it as he continues: "The tests are nothing. I barely feel a thing - so stop being so dramatic!"

Xiaojun watches as Taeyong suddenly drops to the floor on his knees; clutching his head.

"Oh shit!"

When the blond ducks away behind the curtain completely (a faint ' _are you okay?_ ' from the other side) Lucas strains against his restraints again. Taeil holds a hand up; signaling him to calm down.

"I want to see him," Lucas grits out.

"I do not care at the moment, Lycan," Taeil says curtly; turning away. "Xiaojun, is Taeyong alright?" There's a faint shuffle of feet before a gruff, 'I'm fine', makes it over. Hearing his mates voice calms Lucas down enough to stop fidgeting in his seat. Taeil takes this as an opportunity to stuff the gag back in his mouth. 

Xiaojun helps Taeyong stand upright before asking if he's really alright to continue, because he really doesn't look it. "Go," The purple haired elder says before turning his attention to the curtain.

"I will be fine so long as Taeil stops hurting my Lycan," he says loud enough for the whole room to hear. Lucas wishes he could smirk.

"He said it himself," Taeil tosses back. "He is fine."

"I can tell when Lucas lies," Taeyong reminds him. "Now hurry up with these tests, _sir_ , because I need to bandage my pet up for the millionth time this week."

Taeil raises a brow at that but nods to himself. "Xiaojun," He commands. "Come back and help me with one more test."

The small vampire bids farewell to Taeyong before rushing back to their head elders' aid. Now alone again on his side of the curtain, Taeyong becomes hyper aware of two things. The first is that he felt the exact moment something burnt his Lycans leg. The pain wasn't as vivid as what he's sure Lucas experienced, but it was there. Taeyong didn't know he'd be able to feel Lucas's pain like that. The second thing, is that he's 99.99% certain that he could hear Lucas's voice in more ways than one. Sure, he could hear his Lycan yelling at him to snap out of it - voice all fucked up from the pain - but he could also hear him speak elsewhere. From a portal somewhere in his mind, just above a whisper in volume, was Lucas telling him he was hurt - but he didn't want to tell Taeyong that. 

_'I can hear his thoughts,'_ Taeyong concludes as he braces himself for whatever may be next. ' _I guess I really can tell when he lies.'_

Taeil walks behind Lucas and begins loosening the straps around his head and upper shoulders. Lucas looks on apprehensively as he regains the motion in his stiff neck. 

"This will be the last one today," Taeil tells him. "As I have seen enough to know at least one thing from this first set of tests." The way his mouth is set in a firm line makes Lucas worry about what on earth that could mean.

"Taeyong," The elder addresses the fabric wall. "This will be the last test. If you teleport I expect you to write a full detail summary for me tonight of what you felt and in which way. If you do not, well..." He trails off as he places a hand on Lucas's shoulder. "I do hope you can forgive me as this may be considered rude."

Both Taeyong and Lucas frown at that. Xiaojun doesn't seem to understand either. The hand on Lucas's shoulder moves to his head; gripping his hair harshly as he pulls it to the side.

"Master what are- oh!" Xiaojun gasps. Hearing that has Lucas turning his head just enough to see that Taeils eyes are black and his fangs are bared. 

' _He's going to bite me_ ,' Lucas realizes; trying to jerk his head away. It's useless though, because the elder is too strong and he's still strapped mostly to a chair. Lucas's whole neck is on display for a vampire that isn't his own - and there's nothing he can do.

Taeyong feels the earth stop spinning as he hears Lucas loud and clear.

' _... He's going to bite me..._ '

' _I don't want this!_ ' Lucas screams in his head as Taeil opens his mouth wide and dips forward. His head is angled back awkwardly; hair pulled tight to make sure he doesn't move as Taeil licks a stripe at his adams apple. The numbing agent in the vampires' saliva makes his skin crawl and Lucas growls as best as he can through the gag.

' _My blood is willingly for my mate only!_ ' Lucas seethes internally as he tries to break free from the straps. Taeils fangs ghosting over his skin only makes him thrash harder. He can't shift into his Lycan form to break free because that would be a willing threat. He'd be killed for doing that, especially since it's taeil, but he doesn't want to be bitten by anyone that isn't Taeyong either.

Taeil stills, finding a good, strong, vein he can drink from.

_'I don't want anyone but Taeyong!'_

The elder sinks his teeth in - deep. Everything within Lucas screams how wrong this all is.

The pain from the bite lasts just milliseconds before the grip on Lucas's hair disappears and is replaced by slim hands curling possessively around his neck. Taeils fangs are ripped out soon after; a harsh and swift movement that Lucas quickly forgets as his mates' scent fills his nostrils. Lucas sags forward into Taeyongs angry embrace as the vampire hisses; breathing in right at his scent glands and swimming in what ever emotions are radiating off the elder. 

Xiaojun jumps back as Taeil goes flying; watching in horror as the elder hits the wall harshly and shatters several vases. When he slumps to the ground in a heap Taeyong smirks - hands busy removing the gag from his Lycans mouth.

"Taeyongie," Lucas whispers into his mates skin as soon as the gag is gone. "You teleported to me. You-" He doesn't get another word out as Taeyong sinks his own fangs into the same spot Taeil had moments ago. He begins sucking the life out of his Lycan, enraged, and Lucas can pick up the jealousy within the faint sparks between them. He doesn't even care that he's weak and in pain, he just wants to bask in feeding his vampire.

Taeil carefully gets up off the ground; eyes zeroed in on the bonded pair. Taeyong is glaring at him - eyes completely black as he feeds. Xiaojun looks between his elders and tries to make sense of what he just witnessed. Taeyong makes a big show of retracting his fangs from his Lycans neck - blood still on his face from it - before he speaks.

"He is _mine._ "

Lucas is a little loopy from the blood loss, but he catches the sentence. He tries to smile but his vision is starting to blur. Taeils eyes harden as he observes the pair.

"That's all for today," he says simply. "Xiaojun, get this all out of here. Taeyong, take Lucas to see the medic and then finish your duties for the day. We-"

A shrill tone cuts throughout he room and Xiaojun scrambles to find the phone he's sworn he'd put on silent hours ago.

"Sorry," he apologizes sheepishly as he picks up the call. "Hello?"

" _Xiaojun!_ " Yangyang yells from the other line. " _Tell Taeil there's trouble at the south gate. The Hybrids are back!"_

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**Author's Note:**

> HEY EVERYONE I'M BACK. Oof and what a way to be back. Wasn't expecting smut form myself for this fice, but here we are. I have other fics I REALLY should be working on but damn I watched underworld the other day and I just... I really wanted Lycan Lucas and Vampire Yongie.  
> This will be a chaptered fic, and no - TY did not just die lol. He fainted. Er... sort of. Anyway, follow me on Twitter @dancing_lumi for updates and such. I am finally starting to get my writing muse back after it was gone for months.  
> Normally I only write JohnYong for this fandom but I have recently been all up LuYongs business and I'm not complaining. Yes I am also working on some JohnYong fics as well - those are just very slow going is all. #JohnYongists dont lose hope in me! I will return!
> 
> Please comment and share♥ I love reading feedback!


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